Depression News: DNA Scan Reveals Genetic Links That Increase Depression Risk

In a new study, DNA analysis of more than 300,000 Europeans have resulted to the discovery of 17 genetic variations in 15 genome regions that increase the risk for depression. Previous research discovered two places in the DNA where genes that affected risk in the Han Chinese population resided.

"It just underscores that depression really is a brain disease," said Roy Perlis, a co-author of the new study, as a report in The Guardian. "Depression is about biology and I think that will be helpful for some people in reducing stigma and changing how we think about depression," added Perlis, who is from Massachusetts General Hospital.

Scientists discover 17 genetic variations that raise risk of depression https://t.co/CCNYXTyKYD

— The Guardian (@guardian) August 1, 2016

According to the report, 75,607 of the people studied reported being diagnosed with clinical depression or were undergoing treatment for depression. The researchers were reportedly able to find two genomic regions associated with depression by comparing the frequency of common genetic variations in the people with depression with those that did not have the condition.

The researchers conducted more analysis involving more people and it was then that they were able to find 17 genetic variations in 15 genome regions linked with depression. A Daily Mail report said that these regions are the areas where scientists can direct their attention to study the genes and find out what raises the risk for depression.

"What they're showing is, we're on the way' to finding many more genetic links," said Dr. Douglas Levinson of Stanford University, as quoted in the report. "They've shown that depression is tractable," Levinson, who was a non-participant in the study, added.

CBS News reported that while DNA scans are commonly used to identify genes that affect the risk of several diseases, scientists have not had much results in using DNA scans to probe the genes behind depression. The new study has been published in the journal Nature Genetics.