Unprecedented study identifies 44 genetic risk factors for major depression

[hixxy]

Published today in Nature Genetics, the research finds that the genetic basis for major depression is shared with other psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, and that all humans carry at least some of the 44 genetic risk factors identified in the study.

More at the link: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-unprecedented-genetic-factors-major-depression.html

 

[adambeyoncelowe]

Can they really be called risk factors if everyone has them? I mean, breathing is a risk factor too...

 

[Trish]

Here's the article in Nature Genetics:
Genome-wide association analyses identify 44 risk variants and refine the genetic architecture of major depression
by Naomi Wray et al.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0090-3

Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common illness accompanied by considerable morbidity, mortality, costs, and heightened risk of suicide.

We conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis based in 135,458 cases and 344,901 controls and identified 44 independent and significant loci.

The genetic findings were associated with clinical features of major depression and implicated brain regions exhibiting anatomical differences in cases. Targets of antidepressant medications and genes involved in gene splicing were enriched for smaller association signal.

We found important relationships of genetic risk for major depression with educational attainment, body mass, and schizophrenia: lower educational attainment and higher body mass were putatively causal, whereas major depression and schizophrenia reflected a partly shared biological etiology.

All humans carry lesser or greater numbers of genetic risk factors for major depression. These findings help refine the basis of major depression and imply that a continuous measure of risk underlies the clinical phenotype.

 

[Barry]

http://sci-hub.tw/10.1038/s41588-018-0090-3

 

[alicec]

Can they really be called risk factors if everyone has them? I mean, breathing is a risk factor too...

Everyone has them to a greater or lesser extent. This implies

that a continuous measure of risk underlies the clinical phenotype.

 

[alktipping]

bloody obvious if you have a poor education you will more than likely end up doing poorly paid and often heavily taxing work .when you work for a pittance in modern societies you have no chance of changing your circumstances so your likelihood of being depressed is very high. although there are many other factors involved medical science really hasn't focussed on the biological causes of many so called physch illnesses. the brain can and will malfunction in many ways .I personally think people classed with mental health issues need concerted advocacy for real medical/biological research into how the brain works on a chemical level since their are many diseases including m e that have deleterious effects on brain functions.