AUTHOR=Barlati Stefano , Minelli Alessandra , Nibbio Gabriele , Bertoni Lorenzo , Necchini Nicola , Paolini Stefano , Muscarella Alessia , Ubertino Ughetta Bosco , Calzavara-Pinton Irene , Vita Antonio , Gennarelli Massimo TITLE=The role of pharmacogenetics in the treatment of major depressive disorder: a critical review JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry VOLUME=14 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1307473 DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1307473 ISSN=1664-0640 ABSTRACT=

Pharmacological therapy represents one of the essential approaches to treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). However, currently available antidepressant medications show high rates of first-level treatment non-response, and several attempts are often required to find an effective molecule for a specific patient in clinical practice. In this context, pharmacogenetic analyses could represent a valuable tool to identify appropriate pharmacological treatment quickly and more effectively. However, the usefulness and the practical effectiveness of pharmacogenetic testing currently remains an object of scientific debate. The present narrative and critical review focuses on exploring the available evidence supporting the usefulness of pharmacogenetic testing for the treatment of MDD in clinical practice, highlighting both the points of strength and the limitations of the available studies and of currently used tests. Future research directions and suggestions to improve the quality of available evidence, as well as consideration on the potential use of pharmacogenetic tests in everyday clinical practice are also presented.