Liquid Brain Biopsy in Late-Life Depression and Alzheimer’s Disease Using Circulating Brain-Derived Exosomes

Despite the prevalence and public health importance, the biological mechanisms related to late-life depression and Alzheimer's disease are not well-defined. A persistent of stress in brain cells release extracellular vesicles (EVs), a mechanism to intercellular communication. Derived EVs from neurons (NDE) and astrocytes (ADE) can easily cross the blood-brain barrier and be identified in the periphery. Therefore, identifying brain-derived EVs can provide invaluable information of ongoing molecular pathology in neuropsychiatric disorders.