Scientists find hundreds more genetic risk factors for depression
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Wider sample used data from across 29 countries and 5 million people, with a quarter from non-European ancestries. A global study has identified 300 previously unknown genetic risk factors for depression because it included a much wider population sample.
According to the World Health Organization, 3.8% of the population has depression at any one time, affecting about 280 million people. While a range of factors including adverse life events, physical ill health and stress can increase the risk of developing depression, it also has a genetic component.
An international team of researchers, led by the University of Edinburgh and King’s College London, studied anonymised genetic data from more than 5 million people in 29 countries, with one in four from non-European ancestries. Previous research into the genetics of depression has primarily involved white, richer populations, neglecting most of the world. But by including a more diverse sample, the authors were able to identify new risk factors.
The study, published in the journal Cell, found 700 variations in the genetic code of individuals linked to the development of depression, almost half of which had never been associated with the condition before. These small changes in DNA were linked to neurons in multiple brain regions, including areas that control emotion.
