Study Proves Depression Gene Does Not Exist

Boston (HealthKnowItAll) - Results of a new study suggest that a rumored gene that was said to increase a person’s risk of becoming depressed actually does not exist.

Study results from 2003, suggested that a person was more likely to develop depression if they had a genetic variant and were exposed to numerous stressful events.

Since that time, researchers have been trying to validate the study findings, but have not been able to do so.

The initial study found that stressful events triggered a genetic variant to modify the production of the hormone serotonin in the brain of effected people.

Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers debunk the theory by analyzing data from 14 previously performed studies that were performed on people with depression.

They were unable to find a link between depression and the serotonin transporter gene, and also found no link between the gene and one’s stress level.