Were you born to be sad? Online test
August 31, 2005
Researchers at The University of Manchester (UK) are testing our genetic
disposition to depression
with a unique Internet test.
The team, based at the Neuroscience and Psychiatry Unit (NPU), in the Faculty of
Medical and Human Sciences, has set up a website (www.newmood.co.uk)
where would-be volunteers can see how prone they may be to depression by
identifying the emotions on people's faces and taking a gambling test.
The team aims to recruit more than 1000 UK volunteers for further tests as part
of the five-year, EU-funded project called NewMood - New Molecules in Mood
Disorders. They have already discovered how anti-depressants such as Prozac can
affect how the brain reacts to fearful faces and which parts of the brain react
to fear.
Professor Bill Deakin explains: "Anxiety
is a contagious emotion. When you see other people who are anxious, as a primate
you feel anxious as well. Our brains are wired to see anxiety
- it makes sure we are safe. This is a fascinating test and, during further
testing, we will be able to see which parts of the brain light up, or work
harder, when you see a fearful face. Depressed people are more likely to see
sadness or fear in a neutral face.
"The gambling test, where volunteers choose from pairs of spinners to 'win'
money, will show us which parts of the brain light up when you are working for a
reward. Depressed people are less affected by reward and more likely to give up
easily as the test goes on."
Volunteers for this research study will be asked to fill in a confidential
questionnaire and provide a mouth swab for genetic analysis. The team will then
compare the DNA with the questionnaire group data.
In the other EU NewMood centres, rats and mice are also being tested for their
predisposition to depression
using similar reward and anxiety measures. When offered sweet-tasting drinks,
depressed animals show no preference, much as humans lose pleasure in eating and
often lose weight when they are depressed. And when given the opportunity to
explore a new location depressed animals are more wary and take longer to emerge
from dark corners, much as depressed humans avoid social situations.
"All humans have the same genes and they are very similar to those in all
mammals - we turn out differently from each other because we inherit different
versions of the same genes which can vary in their activity" Professor
Deakin says. "We can see what genetic traits towards depression these
animals have, then compare them with the same genes in the human DNA.
"Depression
is a common trait like height or body build and, just like those, we suspect
there are lots of genes involved. By measuring the important possible factors
that can lead to a tendency to depression
across a large number of individual people, we hope to find which ones act
together to cause depression.
Ultimately, this will help us to develop new ways of preventing and treating
this illness."
Depression is common illness affecting 10-20% of the population at some time in
their life and is twice as common in women as in men. Treatment can be very
effective, but may not help everyone. The causes of depression are a mixture of
genetic tendency, personality factors, difficult circumstances and life
experiences, and the big challenge is trying to understand how these work
together to lead to depression.
Professor Deakin adds: "We have already made two discoveries through our
work so far. We have found that anti-depressants such as Prozac affect how the
brain reacts to fearful faces, and also which parts of the brain react directly
to antidepressants."
The University of Manchester is leading 13 institutions in ten countries in the
NewMood project. Four institutions are testing humans and each need 1000
volunteers. Those who take part in this study could win £100 in a prize draw.
For more information or to take part in the project, visit the website at: http://www.newmood.co.uk
This study has been approved by the North Manchester Local Research Ethics
Committee (reference: 05/Q1406/26), the University of Manchester's Ethics
Committee (ref. 05056), the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust (ref.
115-04-NEU-DEAK) and by Stockport PCT (ref RD/9047/2).
The Neuroscience and Psychiatry Unit (NPU) was established to bring together a
group of psychiatrists, psychologists and laboratory scientists to identify the
abnormal brain mechanisms which underlie common mental illnesses such as
schizophrenia and depression. Understanding brain mechanisms of mental illness
requires a multidisciplinary approach and its collaborating departments are
Radiology (MR scanning); Imaging Science (image analysis); Arthritis and
Rheumatism Council Research Unit (genetic epidemiology); and, Neuroscience
(post-mortem brain neurochemistry). It has strong links with local NHS trusts
most notably the Bolton Salford and Trafford NHS Trust - its general adult
services and specialist units such as drug dependency and forensic in the Mental
Health Services of Salford NHS Trust (http://bstmht.nhs.uk).
See http://www.npu.man.ac.uk
For more information or to arrange an interview with Professor Bill Deakin
contact Media Relations Officers Mikaela Sitford on 0161 275 2111/07768 980942
or Jo Nightingale on 0161 275 8156.
Mikaela Sitford or Jo Nightingale
44-161-275-2111
University of Manchester
http://www.manchester.ac.uk