Morgan BellThe Depression Gene
November 6th 2008 08:29
There is now a DNA test that can detect the double gene for depression. If you have the gene you will be prone to severe depression during stressful times.
The link between genes and behaviour is being closely studied in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Their first discovery has been hailed as a gene for violence. People who have one version of a gene called MAOA are not readily able to damp down their stress response in the brain. However, it’s only a problem when paired with a stressful childhood. Most people with the wrong gene/environment combination have ended up in jail for violent crime.
The same team has found a gene for depression. It involves a different neurotransmitter – in this case using the serotonin system – but the same applies; combine a certain gene with stressful life events, and these people are far more likely to develop depression.
The role of the MAOA (violence) gene is to produce an enzyme which maintains the right levels of chemicals in the brain. There's noradrenaline, serotonin and dopamine. It's a master controlling gene which comes in two versions "l" long, or "s" short.
This discovery was followed one year later by a depression gene - a gene controlling the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Combine a short short or "ss" version with a stressful life, and you were twice as likely to develop depression.
Tests undertaken at the Garvan Institute in Sydney can identify the genotype "ss" (short, short) and that gene confers vulnerability to depression in the context of life stress.
If you have the gene it means that you are more responsive to stress and more likely to get depressed when you are stressed.
At the time of the Catalyst story "Nature Nurture" on the ABC (19/05/2005) depression gene testing was not available to the general public.
To see full transcript CLICKHERE
The link between genes and behaviour is being closely studied in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Their first discovery has been hailed as a gene for violence. People who have one version of a gene called MAOA are not readily able to damp down their stress response in the brain. However, it’s only a problem when paired with a stressful childhood. Most people with the wrong gene/environment combination have ended up in jail for violent crime.
The same team has found a gene for depression. It involves a different neurotransmitter – in this case using the serotonin system – but the same applies; combine a certain gene with stressful life events, and these people are far more likely to develop depression.
The role of the MAOA (violence) gene is to produce an enzyme which maintains the right levels of chemicals in the brain. There's noradrenaline, serotonin and dopamine. It's a master controlling gene which comes in two versions "l" long, or "s" short.
This discovery was followed one year later by a depression gene - a gene controlling the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Combine a short short or "ss" version with a stressful life, and you were twice as likely to develop depression.
Tests undertaken at the Garvan Institute in Sydney can identify the genotype "ss" (short, short) and that gene confers vulnerability to depression in the context of life stress.
If you have the gene it means that you are more responsive to stress and more likely to get depressed when you are stressed.
At the time of the Catalyst story "Nature Nurture" on the ABC (19/05/2005) depression gene testing was not available to the general public.
To see full transcript CLICKHERE
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Comment by jan webb
Depression Grew
Broken Wings
just like to say, that this is very well written.
Jan
Comment by alt_ed
Alted Opinion
ArtCombat
The Inner Saintdom
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
The wonders of scientific research. It's about time too. There's all kinds of scientific research being done on physical illnesses, it would be nice to think that we could find a cure for depression or bi-polar instead of just using drugs to mask/hide symptoms.
Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Current Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
i saw the program on TV last night and just put together some excerpts from the transcript available online . . . i thought the DNA testing aspect of it was fascinating!
thanks for stopping in!
hi alt_ed,
well i guess it would tell you if she were predisposed to the illness, and if she was you would have to stop stressing her out!
hi Kylie,
that is so true about medications for mental illness just treating the symptoms . . . and that is all well and good, like better than nothing, but wouldnt it be great if they could identify all the physical markers of mental illness and understand it better!
image treating the cause!
Comment by Wilson Pon
Health 2 Know
Techno Stuffs
boxing sound
Business Rope
I always squeeze the tension ball to release my tension and depression away (I know it's not a good method, but at least it did help me a lot!)
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
I have just been watching a doco on Johnny O'Keefe. He was diagnosed as mentally ill quite a few times, suffering bouts of depression.
They didn't know about bipolar then so he was often thrown into padded cells in various mental asylums. making several comebacks in between.
They used to call it a "nervous breakdown".
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Current Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
sometimes the simple things work the best!
i think a stress ball probably has some meditative qualities to it . . . anything to zone out and take your mind of your worries!
thanks for the comment!
hi Janet,
thanks for the informative comment!
i didnt know that about Johnny O'Keefe . . . isnt is amazing how the old solution used to basically be "out of sight out of mind"?
i hope many more breakthroughs in mental health continue to happen, it is an area of research that could improve the quality of life of everyone!
hi Ruby,
haha oh THOSE kind of jeans!
three kilos doent sound so bad - spend a winter in Tazzy and you will end up looking like a pudding!
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
Interesting studies, interesting findings ... me personally, I think that flouride in the water is probably way overlooked as to the current trend in depression?
The history and uses of flouride, nto to mention its affects on humans is terrifying. Ont he other side of the coin, interesting about the MAOA as flouride may actually help dampen that down a bit?
Lilla ...
Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Current Business News
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Artist Quirk
really? is that why people oppose flouride?
the kids in my family have cavity free teeth and bones as strong as steel . . . i always put it down to the flouride we had when we were little, we even had flouride tablets when we lived in towns with un-flouridated water . . .
i love to read more on its links to depression - do you have a post or favourite article you could give me the link for?
thanks for stopping in!
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
Flouride was first used in the German Prison Camps to keep the prisoners quiet. Later the social engineers of the *real* world found a 1% use in it being able to strengthen teeth and used that ~ via an ever obliging cartel owned media~ to flog that 1% use to the people.
Just google *Dangers of Flouride* for 281,000 pages of information on the *real* side effects of this stuff and weigh that up against perhaps one extra cavity (over 10 years) from not having it in your water.
Perhaps the videos are the best. Google the same *dangers of flouride* in google Videos and have a peek at its ability to affect the human organism in terrible ways.
I would recommend that everyone filter their water, better yet collect rain water and filter that for something failrly pure. Change your toothpaste too to an organic non flouride variety and stop drinking fizzy drinks and sugar enrished fast foods.
I agree *chuckle* the latter easier said than done.
Flouride is only one in 80,000 additives that the FDa and others like it now allow in our foods, many of them so dangerous as to make your hair curl, literally. - let alone stay happy. Not the only cause mind, but a serious problem, no doubts.
Happy reading/viewing.
Lilla ...
Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Current Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
that is a fascinating history - thanks for all the info!
my mothers teeth are like chalk, nearly every one of them having fillings or have been cracked or removed . . . now that shes older it costs her hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars a month for dentistry . . . she grew up in New Zealand on tank water
but everyone should be able to make their own informed choices . . . i hope more research is done!