Scientists Identify Depression Gene in Women

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 01, 2002

Scientists Identify Depression Gene in Women

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Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have identified a susceptibility gene for depression in women, marking an important step towards changing the way doctors diagnose and treat major depression.

The research results, published Thursday in the American Journal of Medical Genetics, show evidence for linkage of mood disorders to a specific region of chromosome 2 in women.

The findings suggest that a gene in this region contributes to developing mood disorders of varying severity in women. But men with the same genetic background did not have any more chance of developing mood disorders than normal.

Women are twice as likely to develop depression as men, according to lead author George S. Zubenko, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

The narrow region of chromosome 2 highlighted by the researchers contains only about eight genes, including a gene called CREB1, which is thought to be the susceptibility gene for mood disorders.

Mutations in CREB1 have been reported in the brains of patientswho died of major depression.

These findings will lead to further progress in diagnosis and treatment of depression, according to Dr. Zubenko.

"The identification and characterization of susceptibility genes will provide new opportunities for drug development and disease prevention, and new information about the biology of mood and its regulation," he said.

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