Newly developed biological markers may enhance clinicians’ ability to detect and treat disorders of the nervous system, including Alzheimer’s disease, mood disorders, and neurodevelopmental conditions, according to research presented at Neuroscience 2026, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Neurological and psychiatric conditions affect billions of people worldwide and remain a leading cause of disability. While biomarkers are already commonplace in fields such as cancer biology, cardiovascular disease, and genetic disorders, the complex biology of the nervous system has long posed challenges for developing diagnostic indicators for brain disorders. Emerging research is advancing efforts to evaluate these conditions through diverse modalities, including brain imaging measures, blood-based substances, genetic changes, and subtle motor signs that may escape visual observation.

Among the newly reported neurodegenerative findings, Meaghan Morris of Johns Hopkins University demonstrated 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. In related research on cognitive resilience, Karlon H. Johnson of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine found that some cognitively healthy older adults maintain younger-appearing brain structure despite having elevated levels of blood biomarkers linked to neurodegeneration.

Investigating psychiatric illness, Maura B. Dupont of Columbia University identified alterations in mitochondrial genes within brain and blood samples collected from people with major depressive disorder. These genetic changes present potential implications for future biomarker development as well as the identification of prospective therapeutic targets.

To capture subtle functional indicators, Nisarg Desai of Emory University reported on a new artificial intelligence system designed to detect and quantify subtle motor symptoms. The machine learning tool was evaluated in nonhuman primate models of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders to measure motor signs that might otherwise elude direct visual inspection.

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, noted that biomarkers and outcome assessments are essential tools for improving diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring disease progression and treatment response. Supported by private organizations and national funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the findings highlight ongoing translational research across the Society for Neuroscience, an organization of nearly 30,000 basic scientists and clinicians investigating brain health, disease mechanisms, and healthy cognitive aging.

The annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, regarded as the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health, serves as the venue for sharing these advances with the global scientific community. The briefing on newly developed biomarkers is scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, 2026, from 2 to 3 p.m. EST, hosted at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Room 202B, with concurrent online access provided for registered journalists. Complete access to the scientific sessions, presentations, and the full schedule of related press events is made available both on site and digitally through official media credentialing and news distribution networks.

Subject of Research: Biomarkers for neurological, psychiatric, and neurodevelopmental disorders

Article Title: New biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and beyond

Article References: New biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and beyond. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: Not provided

Keywords: biomarkers, Alzheimer's disease, major depressive disorder, neurodevelopmental conditions, neurodegeneration, Society for Neuroscience, Neuroscience 2026, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, mitochondrial genes, hippocampus, brain imaging, blood biomarkers, artificial intelligence, motor symptoms, nonhuman primate models, cognitive aging, translational research