According to Rubinow, “this is equally interesting because it may help us to understand resilience and protection, which are also very important.”ĭr. These women, who have no history of psychiatric problems or menstrual cycle-related symptoms, may have gene variants that protect against PMDD. In addition, they also noted that the findings may be telling us more about the control group. The authors acknowledge that as with other complex genetic disorders, the contribution to PMDD of polymorphisms in a single gene may not be large. As a receptor for the hormone that can trigger the onset of PMDD symptoms, ESR1 has clear physiologic relevance for this disorder.” ![]() “Studies have shown that PMDD is characterized by abnormal sensitivity to reproductive steroids like estrogen. “While these are preliminary findings that require replication in larger studies, we would argue that this may explain part of the variance among women in the susceptibility to developing this mood disorder,” Rubinow said. The variants, which are differences in strings of DNA nucleotides A, G, C, or T, were identified in the estrogen receptor alpha gene, ESR1.Ĭompared to the control group, women with PMDD were significantly more likely to have the ESR1 gene variants, the study found. The team discovered four specific genetic variants, called single nucleotide polymorphisms, in one of the two genes that encode the estrogen receptor. All the women provided blood samples for genetic analysis. Another 56 women who had no history of mood disorders related to the menstrual cycle served as a comparison group. The research involved 91 women for whom the authors prospectively confirmed a diagnosis of PMDD over at least three months. The study was supported by funds from the Intramural Research Program at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The results will appear in an upcoming print edition of the journal Biological Psychiatry and were published online June 30, 2007. The study is the first to identify a genetic variation linked to a mood disorder associated with endocrine changes during the menstrual cycle, Rubinow said. ![]() “This study may begin to provide important clues to the nature of that susceptibility.” Rubinow, the study’s senior author and the Meymandi distinguished professor and chair of psychiatry at UNC School of Medicine. “Our initial hope in the study was that by looking at steroid-related genes like those for receptors for steroid hormones such as estrogen, we would be able to find gene differences that might explain why some women have these mood disorders and others don’t,” said Dr. While PMDD has been thought to be linked to hormonal changes over the course of the menstrual cycle, until now an explanation for the susceptibility to hormone-related mood changes has been elusive. Symptoms subside with the onset of each menstrual period. It’s characterized by bouts of major depression and/or anxiety and severe irritability during the second half of the menstrual cycle. Known medically as premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, this psychiatric condition affects roughly 8 percent of women in their childbearing years. National Institutes of Mental Health.Study finds hereditary link to premenstrual depressionĬHAPEL HILL – A specific genetic variation may be tied to an increased risk for severe premenstrual depression, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the National Institute of Mental Health have found. Specific side effects of long-term imipramine management of panic disorder. Antidepressants: From MAOIs to SSRIs and more. ![]() Ramachandraih CT, Subramanyam N, Bar KJ, Baker G, Yeragani VK. Violence, mental illness, and the brain - A brief history of psychosurgery: Part 1 - From trephination to lobotomy. The application of positive psychology in the practice of education. ![]() Cognitive-behavioural therapies: Achievements and challenges. Freudian theory and consciousness: A conceptual analysis. Kraepelin and manic-depressive insanity: An historical perspective. Electrotherapy for melancholia: The pioneering contributions of Benjamin Franklin and Giovanni Aldini. The stigma of mental disorders: A millennia-long history of social exclusion and prejudices. Depression and loss: A theme in Robert Burton's "Anatomy of Melancholy" (1621). The history of "Exercise Is Medicine" in ancient civilizations.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |