WASHINGTON, D.C. — Newly developed biomarkers may enhance clinicians’ ability to detect and treat disorders of the nervous system, including Alzheimer’s disease, mood disorders, and neurodevelopmental conditions. The findings will be presented at Neuroscience 2026, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
Neurological and psychiatric conditions affect billions of people worldwide and are a leading cause of disability. Biological markers, or biomarkers, could help doctors better diagnose and treat these diseases. The use of biomarkers is now commonplace in fields such as cancer biology, cardiovascular disease, and genetic disorders. However, the complex biology of the nervous system has been a challenge in the development of biomarkers for brain disorders. New research is advancing efforts to understand, detect, and treat neurological and psychiatric disorders with biomarkers such as brain imaging measures, substances in the blood, genetic changes, and subtle motor signs that may escape visual observation.
Today’s new findings show that:
- Measuring the size of brain structures other than the hippocampus may help detect early Alzheimer’s-related neurodegeneration and serve as a biomarker for disease progression (Meaghan Morris, Johns Hopkins University)
- Some cognitively healthy older adults may maintain younger-appearing brain structure, despite having elevated levels of blood biomarkers linked to neurodegeneration (Karlon H. Johnson, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine)
- Changes in mitochondria genes in brain and blood samples from people with major depressive disorder may have potential implications for biomarker development and potential treatment targets (Maura B. Dupont, Columbia University)
- A new artificial intelligence (AI) system can detect and quantify subtle motor symptoms in nonhuman primate models of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders (Nisarg Desai, Emory University)
“Biomarkers and outcome assessments are essential tools for improving diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring disease progression and treatment response,” says Carol Taylor-Burds, PhD, a program director in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Division of Translational Research for the NINDS Translational Biomarker Program. “Today’s abstracts illustrate how research to identify and develop biomarkers and outcome assessments advances our understanding of the causes and progression of mood disorders, neurodevelopmental conditions, neurodegenerative diseases, and healthy cognitive aging.”
For complete access to Neuroscience 2026 in person and online, request media credentials. This research was supported by national funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and private funding organizations. Find out more about biomarkers and the brain on BrainFacts.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
2–3 p.m. EST
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Room 202B, and online for registered media
View the full schedule of press events on EurekAlert!
###
The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is an organization of nearly 30,000 basic scientists and clinicians who study the brain and the nervous system.