A study conducted by scientists from Edinburgh University and Royal College of London revealed more than 300 new genetic risk factors for depression.
It is known that living hardships, stress and negative emotions can provoke depression, but genetic prerequisites are also of no small importance.
Having studied, anonymous genetic data of more than 5 million people from 29 countries, the researchers determined a total of 308 genes associated with an increased risk of depression.
During the study, about 700 genetic variations associated with the risk of depression were discovered, almost half of which was first detected. They are associated with the work of neurons in the zones of the brain responsible for emotional regulation.
The study showed that each genetic risk factor for depression is separately insignificant, but in people with more than one factor the risk increases.
more ambitious and representative studies of a global scale are crucial for the development of new and more effective methods of treatment and providing the necessary means for the prevention of depression, one of the researchers of Andrew Macintosh said. The results are published in the journal Cell.