It was recently published in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry, that the molecular mapping of depression is different among men and women. Our gender determines how certain genes are expressed, and the genes for depression, in men and women, can have opposite expressions. This means that men and women could possibly be treated differently for the disorder. In a study, completed by the University of Pittsburg and Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, tissue from postmortem brain tissue of 50 people with diagnosed clinical depression was analyzed. 26 were men and 24 were women. In addition, 50 postmortem brains, without depression, were analyzed. In women, it was found that the gene affecting synapse function in women was more expressed, than it is in men, creating ore protein. However, in men, it was the opposite effect. Only 21 genes had the same effect in both men and women.
Additionally, researchers found that depression is more common among women, and women are more likely to have symptoms associated with their depression, such as weight gain.
This study is monumental for the world of mental health. It shows there is opposing pathology for sexes, which can change how depression is treated differently in men and women; this could make treatments work better.
Link to Article: https://gizmodo.com/the-genetics-of-depression-are-different-for-men-and-wo-1823763197
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