Study Pinpoints 15 Regions In DNA Associated With Depression
It's unlikely the research, done by consumer genetic-testing company 23andMe, will be able to be turned into a diagnostic tool, but it will help scientists study the way depression works.
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23andMe Crowdsources Customers’ Genetic Data To Find Depression Link
A study from the consumer genetic-testing company 23andMe and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has found 15 new DNA regions associated with mutations that could predispose individuals to major depression. The study was huge: Researchers took the DNA of over 75,000 people who reported being clinically diagnosed with depression and compared it with more than 230,000 customers who reported no such diagnosis.The 15 regions in the scrutinized DNA are the first to be linked to major depression in people of European descent. A previous study looking at over 10,000 people of Han Chinese ancestry found two such regions, but those are insignificant in people whose ancestors are from Europe. (Starr, 8/18)