Your risk of developing cancer in part depends on your genes. A new international study shows that 44 genes – so called risk variants – could have a significant influence on whether you develop depression or not.
Earlier there were 14 known areas in the DNA that could affect the risk of depression, but now 30 new areas have been discovered. The study is the largest of its kind – it is based on data from more than 135.000 individuals. The study was performed through the international cooperation Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, which Aarhus University is part of. It is a so called meta study, which means that is it build on the results of many different studies.
New hope of tailormade treatment
The results of the study bring new knowledge about why we develop depression. “By localising the generic factors, we receive new tools for further research on the interplay between genes and environment, and that way we get a more complete understanding of the mechanisms behind the disease,” says Anders Børglum, who is one of the scientists behind the study, in a press release from Aarhus University.
According to the scientists, the new understanding of the mechanisms behind depression pave the way for new and improved treatment; if we know precisely why people develop depression, it is also possible to prescribe more personal medication, tailormade to the individual. This could help patients achieve better results from the anti-depressive medication.
“The results show that genes are enriched with targeting molecules for known antidepressants, which further strengthens the hope that the newly identified genes could point to new targeting molecules for treatment. We are on the right course,” says Anders Børglum in the press release.
Who should be treated?
Additionally, it could also be easier to detect who should be treated by looking at the number of risk variants a person is born with.
“It shows that people, whom have recurring depressions, have a greater load of genetic risk variants than those who only develop a depression a single time. The same holds true for those who have been diagnosed with depression earlier in life. Maybe that is why we should be especially aware and active in the treatment of people with depression, whom are more genetically vulnerable,” says Anders Børglum.
40 percent is caused by genes
However, our genetic composition is not the only cause of depression. Heritability explains about 40 % of the risk of developing depression, meaning that environmental factors have the greater effect on whether you develop a depression or not. These factors can for example be if experience the death of a loved one, divorce, unemployment, or other situations that can affect one’s mental health.
Even so, our genes can make us more susceptible to depressions. If we are born with many of the 44 different genes, we are at a greater risk of developing depression if we experience something that affects us greatly. It is often a combination of our genes and environment that causes us to develop depression. However, everyone can develop a depression. Our genes themselves can’t cause a depression, merely increase or decrease the risk.
