Solomon, PierrePierreSolomonBudde, MonikaMonikaBuddeKohshour, Mojtaba OrakiMojtaba OrakiKohshourAdorjan, KristinaKristinaAdorjanHeilbronner, MariaMariaHeilbronnerNavarro-Flores, AlbaAlbaNavarro-FloresPapiol, SergiSergiPapiolReich-Erkelenz, DanielaDanielaReich-ErkelenzSchulte, Eva CEva CSchulteSenner, FannyFannySennerVogl, ThomasThomasVoglKaurani, LalitLalitKauraniKrüger, Dennis MDennis MKrügerSananbenesi, FarahnazFarahnazSananbenesiPena, TonatiuhTonatiuhPenaBurkhardt, SusanneSusanneBurkhardtSchütz, Anna-LenaAnna-LenaSchützAnghelescu, Ion-GeorgeIon-GeorgeAnghelescuArolt, VolkerVolkerAroltBaune, Bernhardt TBernhardt TBauneDannlowski, UdoUdoDannlowskiDietrich, Detlef EDetlef EDietrichFallgatter, Andreas JAndreas JFallgatterFigge, ChristianChristianFiggeJuckel, GeorgGeorgJuckelKonrad, CarstenCarstenKonradLang, Fabian UFabian ULangReimer, JensJensReimerReininghaus, Eva ZEva ZReininghausSchmauß, MaxMaxSchmaußSpitzer, CarstenCarstenSpitzerWiltfang, JensJensWiltfangZimmermann, JörgJörgZimmermannFischer, AndréAndréFischerFalkai, PeterPeterFalkaiSchulze, Thomas GThomas GSchulzeHeilbronner, UrsUrsHeilbronnerPoschmann, JeremieJeremiePoschmann2025-06-262025-06-262025-10https://boris-portal.unibe.ch/handle/20.500.12422/212061Importance Numerous studies indicate that the traditional categorical classification of severe mental disorders (SMD), such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and major depressive disorders, does not align with the underlying biology of those disorders as they frequently overlap in terms of symptoms and risk factors. Objective This study aimed to identify transdiagnostic patient clusters based on disease severity and explore the underlying biological mechanisms independently of the traditional categorical classification. Design We utilized data from 443 participants diagnosed with SMD of the PsyCourse Study, a longitudinal study with deep phenotyping across up to four visits. We performed longitudinal clustering to group patients based on symptom trajectories and cognitive performance. The resulting clusters were compared on cross-sectional variables, including independent measures of severity as well as polygenic risk scores, serum protein quantification, miRNA expression, and DNA methylation. Results We identified two distinct clusters of patients that exhibited marked differences in illness severity but did not differ significantly in age, sex, or diagnostic proportions. We found 19 serum proteins significantly dysregulated between the two clusters. Functional enrichment pointed to a convergence of immune system dysregulation and neurodevelopmental processes. Conclusion The observed differences in serum protein expression suggest that disease severity is associated with the convergence of immune system dysregulation and neurodevelopmental alterations, particularly involving pathways related to inflammation and brain plasticity. The identification of pro-inflammatory proteins among the differentially expressed markers underscores the potential role of systemic inflammation in the pathophysiology of SMD. These results highlight the importance of considering illness severity as a core dimension in psychiatric research and clinical practice and suggest that targeting immune-related mechanisms may offer promising new therapeutic avenues for patients with SMD.enCognitive dysfunctionDisease severityInflammationMulti-omics analysisPLAURProteomicsSevere mental disordersTransdiagnostic clustering600 - Technology::610 - Medicine & healtharticle10.48620/887944050582210.1016/j.bbi.2025.06.004