A missing part in the human genome may contribute to depression and obesity, researchers have revealed.
Professor Carl Ernst and his team at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, say the lack of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF causes major depression, anxiety, and obesity.
BDNF is a nervous system growth factor that plays a critical role in brain development, say the team. They examined its role in humans by screening more than 35,000 people referred for genetic screening, and more than 30,000 healthy people.
Five participants had BDNF deletions. They were all obese, had a mild-moderate intellectual impairment, and had a mood disorder. The children among these five had anxiety disorders, aggressive disorders, or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. The older participants had anxiety and major depressive disorders, and had become obese as they aged.
Details of the findings were published on Monday (October 8) in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
The team say that this research "provides a step toward better understanding human behaviour and mood by clearly identifying genes that may be involved in mental disorders".
Professor Ernst comments: "Scientists have been trying to find a region of the genome which plays a role in human psychopathology, searching for answers anywhere in our DNA that may give us a clue to the genetic causes of these types of disorders. Our study conclusively links a single region of the genome to mood and anxiety.
"Linking a deletion in BDNF conclusively to mood and anxiety really tells us that it is possible to dissect the biological pathways involved in determining how we feel and act. My hope now is to test the hypothesis that boosting BDNF in people with anxiety or depression might improve brain health."
Highly Penetrant Alterations of a Critical Region Including BDNF in Human Psychopathology and Obesity. Ernst, C. et al. Archives of General Psychiatry October 8 2012 doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2012.660
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