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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Phil on May 9, 2005, at 10:34:11
I have some anxiety about posting this and my genes are too short. : )
Gene Tied to Depression, Anxiety
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests a variation on one gene can disrupt a mental circuit, making people more susceptible to depression and anxiety.The circuit controls the body's ability to silence a ringing alarm in the brain when a human feels fear, said study co-author Dr. Daniel R. Weinberger, director of the Genes, Cognition and Psychosis Program at the National Institute of Mental Health. Brain scans showed that people with less effective circuitry were more likely to have trouble dealing with the stresses of life, he added.
The findings won't immediately lead to new treatments for mental illness, Weinberger noted. In fact, antidepressants already target some related circuitry in the brain.
However, he said the research gives scientists more understanding into how people cope -- and don't cope -- with the slings and arrows of life.
"We're chipping away at what previously seemed like such complex human qualities," he said.
In previous studies, Weinberger and other researchers examined a gene that helps to program the brain's system to deal with the chemical serotonin. Lack of the neurotransmitter contributes to depression, and common antidepressants make it easier for the brain to keep serotonin levels steady.
The researchers found evidence that one of the two types of the gene -- the "short" type -- contributes to general anxiety and the risk of depression following major life stresses. It also heightens the brain's response to viewing scary faces.
In the new study, Weinberger and colleagues examined the brain scans of 114 healthy people to see the effect of having one or two copies of the short type of the gene. Humans come with two copies of the gene, inherited from their parents. Each copy is "long" or "short."
The researchers found that those with at least one short copy of the gene had less effective circuitry in the part of the brain that controls responses to fear. That meant they had less gray matter, fewer neurons and fewer neural connections.
The findings appear in the May 8 online issue of Nature Neuroscience.
"The problem is not the alarm clock, but the button you push to stop the alarm," which doesn't work correctly in those people, Weinberger said.
Researchers linked the effectiveness of the circuit to the subjects' vulnerability to depression and anxiety. That makes sense, Weinberger said, because in affected people "the problem isn't that you're fearful, it's that you can't stop being fearful, you can't turn it off."
But the genetic variation doesn't by itself guarantee that someone will become depressed or anxious, Weinberger said. Other factors -- both environmental and genetic -- contribute to helping a person develop depression or anxiety, he said.
Dr. James Grisolia, a neurologist at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, said the study findings will need to be confirmed. But for now, the potential link between gene variations and brain changes "underscores that tiny changes in the DNA code have the potential to cause far-reaching changes in the person."
In another depression-related study released this month, American and German researchers armed with brain scans found evidence that depression doesn't affect the level of pain felt by patients with fibromyalgia, a condition that causes chronic pain. The findings appear in the May issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Posted by Susan47 on May 9, 2005, at 13:19:26
In reply to Call an electrician, my circuits are crossed, posted by Phil on May 9, 2005, at 10:34:11
That is fascinating. Is that an article you quoted? Because it doesn't say whether the one study found whether the effects of having a short gene from both parents caused significantly more problems than having just one short gene from one parent.
That was really enlightening, and it makes me wonder, too, if we can find that short gene, do we now have a responsiblity, for those of us having depression and anxiety disorders, to seek out that gene before we decide to have children? So we can take measures right from conception to ensure that our kids will suffer less than we did? We have that responsibility in any case, but knowing what gene causes a problem .. that's a huge responsibility added. And with knowledge we get the responsibility, don't we. We already have too much knowledge, more than we can be responsible for. We're already in so much trouble, ethically, with ourselves and our world. We've completely outsmarted ourselves, we haven't matured emotionally, and ethically, fast enough to keep pace with the capability of our brains, we're developing in the wrong direction entirely.
But I've digressed just a bit, and can't find my way back to the original topic at hand.
Posted by sunny10 on May 9, 2005, at 13:47:34
In reply to Re: Call an electrician, my circuits are crossed, posted by Susan47 on May 9, 2005, at 13:19:26
yeah- I've long thought that my wires were crossed or SOMETHING--- this makes sense.
But, Suze, doesn't it make more sense that mankind having this knowledge would result in finding cures instead of taking on the "responsibilities" of God, or fate, or whatever each one of us believes in?
Instead of preventing cross-wired children, wouldn't it awesome if we could "fix" them (and, if I may be selfish here, US, too?!?!)
mwah (I miss you)
sunny10
Posted by Phil on May 9, 2005, at 14:10:51
In reply to Re: Call an electrician, my circuits are crossed, posted by Susan47 on May 9, 2005, at 13:19:26
Hi Susan, It was an article I found on Google News.
I agree with you. The scientists are making progress but who knows where to go with the knowledge.
Phil~
Posted by AuntieMel on May 10, 2005, at 9:33:11
In reply to Re: Call an electrician, my circuits are crossed, posted by Susan47 on May 9, 2005, at 13:19:26
Ah, but one thing. After all the talk about 'short' genes {geez, is even my dna short?} they add at the end, like an afterthough, that other things also factor in.
I myself don't think I would have near the problems if I'd had a better bringing up.
So, have kids based on a gene? Nah. Having kids is a crap shoot anyway, so why should this be the deciding factor?
"But the genetic variation doesn't by itself guarantee that someone will become depressed or anxious, Weinberger said. Other factors -- both environmental and genetic -- contribute to helping a person develop depression or anxiety, he said."
This is the end of the thread.
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