The Role of Neurotransmitter Receptors in Mental and Behavioral Disorders: a Biomedical Text Mining Approach

ABSTRACT: Genetic variation in neurotransmitter receptors have been shown to be implicated both in behavioral variations across individuals in a given population and in various behavioral disorders. There are two aspects of synaptic neurotransmission in terms of its implications in behavioral disorders, both of which are important in healthcare management for such conditions. Firstly, particular allelic variations lead to an increased susceptibility to certain behavioral disorders. Secondly, specific allelic variations determine the response of affected individuals to available drug treatment options. Studies linking genetic variation and behavioral disorders are in general done on a single gene level and are focused on a single or a few disorders at a time. In this study, we aim to approach the relationship of neurotransmitter receptors to behavioral disorders from a different, more global perspective. We employ state-of-the-art text mining methods to put together a comprehensive database linking neurotransmitter receptors with specific mental and behavioral disorders. This study is unique in the sense that it provides this specific subset of gene-disease data. In addition, this tool is publicly accessible and enables researchers and healthcare professionals in the field to have easy access to a large amount of neurotransmission and disease data. This would facilitate analysis of the molecular bases of these conditions within a larger scope. Keywords: biomedical text mining, machine learning, neurotransmitter receptors, mental disorders, behavioral disorders, gene-disease association, support vector machines. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………