Global study on depression identifies new genetic risk factors
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Scientists have identified new genetic risk factors for depression across all major global populations after a study involving five million participants, giving hope for new treatments. The world’s largest and most diverse genetic study into depression revealed nearly 300 previously unknown genetic links.
A total of 100 of the newly discovered genetic variations – small differences in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene – were identified thanks to the inclusion of people of African, East Asian, Hispanic and South Asian descent. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and King’s College London studied anonymised genetic data from more than five million people in 29 countries, and believe the findings offer new insight into the impact of depression on the brain and present possible new targets for treatment.
One in four participants were from non-European ancestries, however, previous research into the genetics of depression focused primarily on white populations, originally descended from people living in Europe. Scientists believe therapies developed using genetic approaches may not be effective in other ethnicities, widening health inequalities.
Each genetic variant has a very small effect on the overall risk of developing depression, however, if a person has multiple variants, these small effects can add up, increasing their risk, according to the study. The research team was able to more accurately predict an individual’s risk of depression by taking into account newly identified variants, the study found.
