Science News about Genetics
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Science News about Genetics
- Telephone-based Depression Treatment Program Effective While Cost Efficient
- October 16, 2009 • Science Update
Patients who receive structured, telephone-based support to manage their depression gain significant benefits with only moderate increases in health care costs compared to those who receive usual care, according to an NIMH-funded analysis published in the October 2009 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. - Atlas Will Reveal When and Where Genes Turn On in the Brain
- October 06, 2009 • Science Update
When and where in the brain a gene turns on holds clues to its possible role in disease. For example, a recent study found that forms of a gene associated with schizophrenia are over-expressed in the fetal brain, adding to evidence implicating this critical developmental period. - Schizophrenia Linked to Over-expression of Gene in Fetal Brain
- August 28, 2009 • Science Update
A gene called DISC1, (for “disrupted in schizophrenia”) has been a leading contender among possible genetic causes since it was implicated in schizophrenia in a large Scottish clan two decades ago. The DISC1 gene codes for a protein important for brain development, as well as for mood and memory – functions that are disturbed in schizophrenia. However, until now there have been few clues as to how DISC1 might increase risk for the chronic mental disorder. - Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Share Genetic Roots
- July 01, 2009 • Press Release
A trio of genome-wide studies – collectively the largest to date – has pinpointed a vast array of genetic variation that cumulatively may account for at least one third of the genetic risk for schizophrenia. One of the studies traced schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in part, to the same chromosomal neighborhoods. - Much Touted “Depression Risk Gene” May Not Add to Risk After All
- June 16, 2009 • Press Release
Stressful life events are strongly associated with a person’s risk for major depression, but a certain gene variation long thought to increase risk in conjunction with stressful life events actually may have no effect, according to researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study, published in the June 17, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, challenges a widely accepted approach to studying risk factors for depression. - Gene On/Off Instructions Inherited Via Shadowy Mechanism
- April 06, 2009 • Science Update
The first large-scale study of its kind in twins has turned up evidence that we inherit instructions for the turning on and off of genes via mechanisms beyond the traditional sequence differences in the genetic code. Moreover, the results suggest that early random errors in replicating these instructions may trump environmental influences in shaping us. - Anxious and Depressed Teens and Adults: Same Version of Mood Gene, Different Brain Reactions
- December 02, 2008 • Science Update
An NIMH study using brain imaging shows that some anxious and depressed adolescents react differently from adult patients when looking at frightening faces. - Genomic Dragnet Finds Clues to Likely Suspects in Alzheimer’s
- November 06, 2008 • Science Update
In the first study of its kind, researchers have pinpointed four genes likely associated with risk for the most common, late-onset form of Alzheimer’s disease, including a very strong candidate on chromosome 14. - Genes That Turn On Together Hold Secrets of Brain’s Molecular Instructions
- November 05, 2008 • Science Update
For the first time, scientists have mapped groups of genes that turn on together in the human brain, revealing a kind of Rosetta Stone of its molecular organization. - Viral Genetic Underpinnings of HIV-associated Dementia Explored
- October 09, 2008 • Science Update
A new study identifies differences between genetic variants of HIV that are associated with HIV-associated dementia (HAD). - Gene Associated with Social Behavior in Animals Has Similar Effects in Human Males
- September 02, 2008 • Science Update
A gene variant related to the hormone vasopressin appears to be associated with how human males bond with their partners or wives, according to an NIMH-funded study. - Mice Expressing Human Genes Bred to Help Unravel Mental Disorders
- June 26, 2008 • Science Update
New mouse strains engineered to express human genes related to mental disorders are being developed under a recently-launched grant program from NIMH’s Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science. - One Gene Overrides Another to Prevent Brain Changes that Foster Depression
- March 12, 2008 • Science Update
For what appears to be the first time in humans, scientists have detected an interaction between genes that may help prevent brain changes that increase vulnerability to depression. - Genetic Tags Reveal Secrets of Memories’ Staying Power in Mice
- February 21, 2008 • Press Release
A better understanding of how memory works is emerging from a newfound ability to link a learning experience in a mouse to consequent changes in the inner workings of its neurons. Researchers, supported in part by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), have developed a way to pinpoint the specific cellular components that sustain a specific memory in genetically-engineered mice. - Scans Reveal Faulty Brain Wiring Caused by Missing Genes
- February 20, 2008 • Science Update
An NIMH study using an emerging imaging technology has discovered faulty wiring in the brains of people with Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects some aspects of thinking. - IQ Boost From Breast Milk Linked to Gene-Environment Interaction
- December 17, 2007 • Science Update
A new study shows that the intellectual boost associated with breast milk is only attained if a child has inherited one of two versions of a specific gene. - Schizophrenia-Related Gene Linked to Imbalance in Dopamine Pathways
- December 17, 2007 • Science Update
Forms of a gene known to increase risk for schizophrenia may create an imbalance in brain pathways for dopamine, suggests a recent study by NIMH scientists. - Bipolar Disorder Phenome Database May Aid Search for Related Genes
- October 02, 2007 • Science Update
Early findings from the recently launched Bipolar Disorder Phenome Database were published in the August 2007 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. - Gene Triggers Obsessive Compulsive Disorder-Like Syndrome in Mice
- August 22, 2007 • Press Release
Using genetic engineering, researchers have created an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - like set of behaviors in mice and reversed them with antidepressants and genetic targeting of a key brain circuit. The study, by National Institutes of Health (NIH) -funded researchers, suggests new strategies for treating the disorder. - New Studies Search for Clues to Mental Illness in Gatekeepers of Gene Expression
- August 10, 2007 • Science Update
What goes awry in the brain to cause mental illness may ultimately be traced to glitches in genes - but not necessarily the parts of genes commonly suspected. - Genetic Roots of Bipolar Disorder Revealed by First Genome-Wide Study of Illness
- May 08, 2007 • Press Release
The likelihood of developing bipolar disorder depends in part on the combined, small effects of variations in many different genes in the brain, none of which is powerful enough to cause the disease by itself, a new study shows. - Cortex Area Thinner in Youth with Alzheimer’s-Related Gene
- April 24, 2007 • Press Release
A part of the brain first affected by Alzheimer’s disease is thinner in youth with a risk gene for the disorder, a brain imaging study by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has found. - Gene Knockout Unleashes Manic Mouse
- April 05, 2007 • Science Update
Mice engineered to lack a specific gene showed behaviors similar to human mania in a study funded in part by NIMH; they were hyperactive, slept less, appeared less depressed and anxious, and craved sugar, cocaine and pleasure stimulation. - Tiny, Spontaneous Gene Mutations May Boost Autism Risk
- March 15, 2007 • Press Release
Tiny gene mutations, each individually rare, pose more risk for autism than had been previously thought, suggests a study funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health, a component of the National Institutes of Health. - Largest-Ever Search for Autism Genes Reveals New Clues
- February 18, 2007 • Press Release
The largest search for autism genes to date, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has implicated components of the brain’s glutamate chemical messenger system and a previously overlooked site on chromosome 11. - Common Gene Version Optimizes Thinking — but With a Possible Downside
- February 09, 2007 • Press Release
Most people inherit a version of a gene that optimizes their brain’s thinking circuitry, yet also appears to increase risk for schizophrenia, a severe mental illness marked by impaired thinking, scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have discovered. - New Tests May Help Researchers Detect Genetic Basis For Autism
- January 30, 2007 • Science Update
Researchers have developed a set of behavioral tests in mice that mimic the core features of autism and may prove useful in detecting a genetic basis for the deficits in social interactions and rigid thinking seen in the disorder. - Mouse Model May Reveal Anxiety Gene, Marker for Antidepressant Failure
- November 09, 2006 • Science Update
Studies of a new mouse model suggest that a specific gene variation plays a role in the development of anxiety disorders and in resistance to common medications for anxiety and depression. - Gene Linked to Autism in Families with More Than One Affected Child
- October 17, 2006 • Press Release
A version of a gene has been linked to autism in families that have more than one child with the disorder. Inheriting two copies of this version more than doubled a child’s risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder, scientists supported by NIMH and NICHD have discovered. - Gene Therapy May One Day Prevent AIDS–Related Brain–Cell Death
- October 11, 2006 • Science Update
Scientists have shown that gene therapy has potential for treating brain pathology triggered by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS. - Aggression-Related Gene Weakens Brain’s Impulse Control Circuits
- March 20, 2006 • Press Release
A version of a gene previously linked to impulsive violence appears to weaken brain circuits that regulate impulses, emotional memory and thinking in humans, researchers at NIMH have found. - Gene Influences Antidepressant Response
- March 15, 2006 • Press Release
Whether depressed patients will respond to an antidepressant depends, in part, on which version of a gene they inherit, a study led by scientists at NIH has discovered. Having two copies of one version of a gene that codes for a component of the brain’s mood―regulating system increased the odds of a favorable response to an antidepressant by up to 18 percent, compared to having two copies of the other, more common version.
