How Inherited Traits Affect Depression
A brain scan study suggests that a suspect gene may increase susceptibility to
anxiety and depression by weakening a circuit for processing negative emotion.
People with the depression-linked gene variant showed less gray matter and weaker
connections in the mood-regulating circuit. How well the circuit was connected
accounted for nearly 30 percent of their anxious temperament, researchers at the
National Institute of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
found. Dr. Daniel Weinberger and colleagues report on their brain imaging genetics
study in the May 8, 2005 online edition of Nature Neuroscience.
“We discovered the mood-regulating circuit by using the gene to interrogate the
imaging data,” explained Weinberger. “The brain handles information much like an
orchestra. So we asked questions akin to ‘Are the violin and the clarinet playing
the same tune and to what extent might this gene account for it?’”
In this case, it turned out that the amygdala, a fear processing hub deep in
the brain, and the cingulate, an emotion-dampening center located near the front
of the brain, were playing a duet under the baton of the depression-linked gene.
The gene codes for the serotonin transporter, the protein in brain cells that
recycles the chemical messenger after it’s been secreted into the synapse, the
gulf between cells. Since the most widely prescribed class of antidepressants act
by blocking this protein, researchers have focused on possible functional
consequences of a slight variation in its DNA sequence across individuals.
Everyone inherits two copies of the gene, one from each parent, which comes in two
common versions: short and long. The short version makes less protein, resulting
in less recycling, increased levels of serotonin in the synapse, and more
serotonin-triggered cellular activity. Previous NIMH-supported studies had shown
that inheriting the short variant more than doubles risk of depression following
life stresses, boosts amygdala activity while viewing scary faces, and has been
linked to anxious temperament. Yet, how it works at the level of brain circuitry
remained a mystery.
Next: MRI Study Provides Insight in to Depression
Adapted from: Depression Gene May Weaken Mood-Regulating Circuit
(http://www.nimh.nih.gov/press/shortcircuit.cfm)
 |
| |
Vanilla Whey Protein Powder - 12 oz. - Jay Robb |
Jay Robb's Whey Protein powder is the ultimate! We have left this product simple and natural, so that you can buy one of the highest quality and BEST-TASTING whey protein powders available anywhere in the world! If you don't think our Whey Protein to be the absolute best-tasting (natural) whey product ever developed, then we will refund you the price of the product! You've got nothing to lose! Mixes in water with a few turns of a spoon, or a quick shake in a shaker bottle. BEWARE of most protein powders on the market! Many of these formulas contain cheaper proteins, as well as tons of SUGAR, and refined carbohydrates in the form of: FRUCTOSE, GLUCOSE, GLUCOSE POLYMERS, MALTODEXTRIN as well as fake sugars chemically developed such as ASPARTAME, SUCRALOSE, ACESULFAME-K, and POLYDEXTROSE just to name a few.
Read more...
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
