by Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital have discovered that genetic factors play a role in severe depression that does not respond to standard therapy, a condition known as treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The study, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry on May 15, 2023, reveals that TRD shares genetic similarities with various conditions, including schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, cognitive traits, alcohol and smoking habits, and body mass index (BMI).
The researchers found that TRD has a significant genetic overlap with these conditions, suggesting a shared biology and potential new treatment avenues. This study offers insights into the genetics and biology of TRD, supports the utility of estimating disease probabilities from clinical data for genomic investigations, and paves the way for future research on applying genomic data for biomarker and drug development.
TRD affects a large number of patients, but its biology has remained elusive. This study provides genetic evidence for new biological directions to explore in addressing this gap, said Douglas Ruderfer, Ph.D., associate professor of Medicine (Genetic Medicine), Psychiatry, and Biomedical Informatics.
Roy Perlis, MD, professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and director of the MGH Center for Experimental Drugs and Diagnostics, added, “This research finally provides us with some new leads, rather than continuously developing the same antidepressants for a condition that is extremely common.”
The findings of this study could lead to the development of novel treatments for TRD, which has remained a challenge in the field of psychiatry. The genetic overlap with BMI is particularly intriguing, as it opens up possibilities for exploring the relationship between depression and obesity, and potential interventions that target both conditions.
