Can Depression Change Your DNA?

Posted by Christina Crease
at August 11, 2008

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In a recent research it has found that depression may play an important role in changing the makeup of the brain.  According to the researchers, when comparing the brains of the people who committed suicide with those people who died due to natural causes, it was found that genome of the depressed people who committed suicide was chemically modified by the process that involved in regulating the essential characteristics of all cells in the body.

During autopsies researchers collected the brain tissue of the depressed people who committed suicide to find the exact link between major depression and suicide. The study shows that proteins that modify DNA are more expressed in the brains of people who commit suicide. These proteins are involved in chemically modifying DNA in a process called epigenomic regulation.

In a cell there are about 40000 genes and only a small fraction of genes are turned on. Remaining genes are not expressed and are shut down by an epigenetic process called DNA methylation. It was found that rate of methylation in the brains of people who committed suicide were found to be much greater.

This complete research may give some light on the fact that how depression can effect the DNA of the person.





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Comments
Comment by Mckay K on August 13, 2008 @ 5:51 am

I also believe depression changes the make up of the brain. Very interesting Christina.

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