A DEFENCE against manic depression may be written in our genes, scientists
say.
Edward Ginns and his colleagues at the National Institute of Mental Health
near Washington DC looked at the genes of people from families with a genetic
predisposition to manic depression. Those who did not develop the disease,
despite their high risk, had similarities in one region on chromosome 4. This
may contain a gene that protects against the disorder (Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, vol 95, p 15 531).
This is the first evidence of a beneficial gene linked to a behavioural
disorder. “We were really excited,” says Ginns. Understanding how the gene
offers protection could lead to new drugs for depression that mimic its effect,
he says.
