A UW-Madison psychiatrist says it will probably be another decade before researchers pinpoint which genes– and how many–play a role in depression.
There was widespread excitement that followed a study linking one gene mutation to depression which has since been dampened. A follow-up review in the Journal of American Medical Association shows little or no connection between one gene regulating the neurotransmitter serotonin and the likelihood of depression.
Dr. Ned Kalin chairs the psychiatry department at UW Medical School. He says it means scientists will have to broaden their search for genetic causes of depression, and the quest for clues in DNA could be a decade away. He says what it tells researchers is that thereâ??s not going to be one gene to explain why someone suffers depression or develops schizophrenia. Kalin says it’s probably going to be like many other illnesses, mainly â??A complicated story in which there are numerous genes.” (5th item.)