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Depression Gene Linked to Stress

Depression Gene Linked to Stress - A new study shows that an individual's genetic makeup strongly affects his/her susceptibility to depression. The study, one of the biggest of its kind, supports previous studies showing a link between a gene that regulates a brain chemical called serotonin and an individual's ability to rebound from serious emotional trauma, such as childhood physical or sexual abuse.

In the latest study, a team of researchers led by Dr. Srijan Sen, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School, examined 54 studies dating from 2001 to 2010 and encompassing nearly 41,000 participants - making it the largest analysis of the serotonin gene's relationship to depression to date.

Depression Gene Linked to Stress

The study was published online today in the "Archives of General Psychiatry."

"When we included all the relevant studies, we found that an individual's genetic make-up does make a difference in how he or she responds to stress," Sen said in a written statement released by the university.

Depression was more likely to occur in people whose "serotonin transporter" gene was shorter in a particular area. Those with the gene seem to have a harder time bouncing back from trauma.

Depression Gene Linked to Stress
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