A team of researchers from Sweden, Germany, and Denmark has demonstrated that polygenic risk scores (PRS) may be able to predict individual responses to medications for depression and anxiety. While the method has not yet been tested in clinical settings, the early findings point to the potential for tailoring psychiatric treatments based on genetic profiles.
The study used genomic data from 2,515 individuals in the Swedish Twin Registry, the world’s largest twin database. Researchers examined prescription patterns and medication changes to infer treatment efficacy. They found that patients with higher PRS for depression or anxiety were less likely to respond to certain drug classes, such as benzodiazepines and histamines.
“We then looked at the polygenic risk scores of these individuals, and it became clear that if you had a higher risk score for depression or anxiety, drugs like benzodiazepine and histamines had a smaller effect,” said Fredrik Åhs of Mid Sweden University, who led the study.
The PRS used in the analysis were developed by Doug Speed at Aarhus University. Speed has spent the past decade building polygenic models for mental health conditions. “It turns out that these polygenic risk scores can predict our response to drugs, which is a bit surprising, but a significant step forward,” he said.
Although promising, the study relies on inferred drug response based on prescription changes rather than direct clinical assessment. Åhs acknowledged this limitation, noting that it remains unclear whether switches were driven by lack of efficacy, side effects, or other factors.
The researchers aim to validate the findings in a clinical setting. “We believe this technology could be used to develop more targeted tests,” Åhs said. “Hopefully, in the future, we’ll have a cheap and effective test that enables us to alleviate people’s suffering much faster.”
Publication Details
Markant, A., Tabrizi, F., Grönvall, H., Speed, D., & Åhs, F. (2025). Association between polygenic risk scores and treatment response to antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and antihistamines in anxiety and depression. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, 5(3), 100470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100470
The study used genomic data from 2,515 individuals in the Swedish Twin Registry, the world’s largest twin database. Researchers examined prescription patterns and medication changes to infer treatment efficacy. They found that patients with higher PRS for depression or anxiety were less likely to respond to certain drug classes, such as benzodiazepines and histamines.
“We then looked at the polygenic risk scores of these individuals, and it became clear that if you had a higher risk score for depression or anxiety, drugs like benzodiazepine and histamines had a smaller effect,” said Fredrik Åhs of Mid Sweden University, who led the study.
The PRS used in the analysis were developed by Doug Speed at Aarhus University. Speed has spent the past decade building polygenic models for mental health conditions. “It turns out that these polygenic risk scores can predict our response to drugs, which is a bit surprising, but a significant step forward,” he said.
Although promising, the study relies on inferred drug response based on prescription changes rather than direct clinical assessment. Åhs acknowledged this limitation, noting that it remains unclear whether switches were driven by lack of efficacy, side effects, or other factors.
The researchers aim to validate the findings in a clinical setting. “We believe this technology could be used to develop more targeted tests,” Åhs said. “Hopefully, in the future, we’ll have a cheap and effective test that enables us to alleviate people’s suffering much faster.”
Publication Details
Markant, A., Tabrizi, F., Grönvall, H., Speed, D., & Åhs, F. (2025). Association between polygenic risk scores and treatment response to antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and antihistamines in anxiety and depression. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, 5(3), 100470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100470