Study links 102 gene variants to depression
A team led by the University of Edinburgh combined genome-wide data from 807,553 people across three earlier depression studies and found 102 independent genetic variants tied to major depression, along with 269 genes and 15 gene sets. Many of the genes relate to synaptic structure and neurotransmission, and an enrichment analysis pointed to the prefrontal brain regions. When the researchers checked the results against an independent sample of 1,306,354 people, 87 of the 102 variants held up after correction for multiple testing.
The results sharpen the picture of depression's genetic architecture, though they do not produce a new diagnostic tool or treatment on their own.
Written by the Genomes desk from the primary source cited and linked above and checked against it. Research use only; not medical advice. Corrections: [email protected].