9.1.4) Depression
Your normal risk of experiencing depression
Depression is a medical condition with physical, emotional and cognitive effects. A person may have prolonged feelings of sadness, hopelessness and is often unable to live in a normal way.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a common condition with lifetime prevalence estimates in the population of 11-16%. In addition, depressive disorders are the second leading cause of disability worldwide. A variety of stressful life events have been shown to increase the risk for depression including poverty, negative family relationships, and childhood maltreatment.
MDD is believed to be a combination of genetics, environment and physiological factors. Depression can be brought on by a life event, medication, substance abuse or a chronic health problem. A family history of depression is also considered a risk factor. It’s believed that genetics account for about 40% of your depression risk.
If you have variations in this panel, you may want to consider the following to improve your health:
- Watch for signs of depression such as sadness that lasts throughout the day, loss of enjoyment of your favorite activities, feelings of worthlessness, trouble making decisions, concentrating, irritability, fatigue, sleeping too much or too little.
- If you are experiencing depression, seek medical and non-medical options that can improve your quality of life.
- Aerobic exercise is shown to improve memory function and reduce depression.
Some examples of genes that have been associated with the risk of experiencing depression are:
BDNF: Plays an essential role in neuronal survival, proliferation, and synaptic remodeling and modulates the function of many other neurotransmitters. It is a growth factor enriched in the brain, that is altered by commonly abused drugs, such as alcohol. Exposure to stress has been shown to decrease BDNF, if persistent, this leads to an eventual atrophy of the hippocampus. Atrophy of the hippocampus takes place in humans suffering from chronic depression. Voluntary exercise, caloric restriction, intellectual stimulation, and various treatments for depression (such as antidepressants) increase expression of BDNF in the brain.
NPY: Neuropeptide Y gene in the brain is closely related to the onset of depression. Neuropeptides mediate or modulate neuronal communication by acting on cell surface receptors. Helps restore calmness after stressful events. Moreover, low levels are associated with poor responses to antidepressant therapy.
TPH2: Produces enzyme in the synthetic pathway for brain serotonin and considered a key factor for the maintenance of normal serotonin transmission in the central nervous system. Studies show that those who carry a variation have an increased risk for major depressive disorder.