Even though it has begun to be investigated in recent years, studies of microRNA (miRNA) in anxiety disorders are limited. Our research is the first miRNA expression study in panic disorder, which excludes of drug use and additional psychiatric disorders.

We aimed to determine the availability of miRNAs as biomarkers in the serum levels of panic disorder and to demonstrate the changing expression of miRNAs.

In the research, 35 panic disorder patients and 35 healthy controls were administered a socio-demographic and clinical information form, SCID-I, PDSS. 2 tubes of peripheral venous blood were taken from each group for genetic evaluation. miRNA expression analysis was performed in those samples by the RT-PCR method.

Compared with the healthy control group, 8 miRNA expression levels were found different in panic disorder group. Five of them were up-regulated and 3 of them were down-regulated. There was no correlation between the level of miRNA expression and PDSS total score and PDSS sub-items. miR-1297 and miR-4465 expression levels were statistically significant between the two groups. Both miRNAs are also known to arrange the gene regions that affect GABAA receptor subtypes.

miR-1297 and miR-4465 regulate the GABAA gene that is thought to play a role in the etiology of panic disorder (Wong et al., 2014, Wang 2016). In panic disorder group, miR-1297 and miR-4465 expression levels were found to be up-regulated from the healthy control group.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.