If you are asking yourself "what is the depression gene", then I think you have made a good decision to take on this subject. As of now, there are no specific genetic depression genes identified. For decades, however, there have been some strong connections to genetic depression among family members, most notably those that suffered from severe cases of it in the past.
As of today, more than 80 genetic, related depression gene candidates have been identified through intense research into the field, and there may be many others still to be discovered. In any case, many studies show that these candidate genes and disorders affect people differently. They also affect how those disorders affect the body, how they manifest themselves physically, how long they last during recuperation, and even how they impact one's daily functioning while they are depressed. All of this adds up to an ever-expanding database of potential candidate genes for disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc.
The depression gene has not yet been found, but studies are still ongoing. If you want to know what the depression gene is, here's how the process works. As you probably already know, genes become passed down from generation to generation. If you have a depression gene, then your chances of getting depression are greatly increased. It is possible for you to completely avoid getting depression genes by not inheriting them from your parents. However, for many people, avoiding depression genes just isn't possible.
There are two ways that you can help reduce your risk of getting a depression gene. The first way is to avoid any genetic variants that could cause depression. The second way is to ensure that your genome-wide association study (GWA) samples come from only white non-minority people who have consistently shown lower rates of depression than other Americans. Your depression genes may be influenced by common genetic variants that impact other health conditions, after all. If your depression genes are indeed genetic, the results of your GWA will be highly sensitive to the variation in race and ethnicity that you possess.
What does this mean for treating depression? Basically, if you take the time to look at your overall health and determine what your genetic makeup is, you can use this information to create drugs tailored for your particular makeup. Most medical researchers now agree that most antidepressant medications are not effective for everyone, especially when the drugs are used for long periods of time. Most researchers now believe that there are several genes that can explain why most people respond to some types of depression treatments, but not others.
To identify the depression genes, your physician will perform DNA testing that identifies thousands of loci across the genome. The research has shown that these loci are actually "risk" factors that make people more likely to develop depression. The risk factor for depression gene varies by race and ethnicity. For example, African-Americans tend to have a higher rate of both triglycerides (fatty substances) and obesity compared to Caucasians. Because African-Americans and Hispanics carry a variant of the depression gene called the serotonin transporter gene, they also tend to have less activity in their brains than Caucasians.
This genetic variation is one of the best reasons why most depression cases today are of African American or Hispanic origin. However, the Renee deveney Rihneyson Research has shown that genetics and environment do not play a large role in this disorder. According to the research, the variation of the depression gene only accounts for approximately five percent of the cases of depression. The remaining eighty percent are explained through influences from the environment and heredity.
The Rihneyson Laboratory is currently undergoing research with the goal of understanding more about the complex relationships between genetics and depression. The goal is also to improve the current knowledge about this disorder so that better treatments can be developed for it. Researchers at the laboratory include specialists in the field of medicine, neurology, biochemistry, and psychiatry. They also include people who conduct research on the cellular level of brain function, which will hopefully benefit future treatments for depression. If you or someone you know has depression, you should consider researching your genetics so that you can find out if there is a genetic link to it.
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