Link between brain chemical, suicide found
July 31, 2008
By JOHN MINER
The London Free Press
London scientists say they're on the road to finding a treatment that could alter the chemical process in the brain that can lead to depression and suicide.
The Robarts Research Institute study of brains of people who committed suicide and people who died from other causes has turned up differences that may open the door to new treatments for depression.
"It looks like there is a whole new world opening up," said Michael Poulter, also a professor in the department of physiology and pharmacology at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.
The study led by Poulter and Hymie Anisman of the Neuroscience Research Institute at Carleton University in Ottawa found a chemical that can modify DNA in brain cells was 10 times higher in people who had committed suicide.
The effect of the chemical was to lower the activity of a gene known to be involved in coping with stress.
"It's not as active, it's not working at as high a level as it should be," Poulter said.
Reversing the chemical process in the brain won't be easy, but it should be possible, he said.
"The idea is you could have a new drug target to treat depression from what we've found. We are still in early days . . . but nevertheless, it looks quite promising," he said.
Another protein in the same family as the one involved in depression is also found in high levels in people who have schizophrenia, he said.
Depression, once it sets in, is often a difficult neurological disorder to reverse, Poulter said.
The brains for the research were obtained from autopsies at the Semmelweis University Medical School in Budapest and were from Causcasians of about the same age and both sexes.
The control group consisted of brains from people who died suddenly, including from heart attacks and car crashes.
The findings support other research that depression is a serious condition that can't be solved by telling someone to just get over it, Poulter said.
"There is no reason to believe that anymore," he said.
Poulter and Anisman's research, supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, has been published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
Press release:
University of Western Ontario: Study identifies DNA changes in major depression, suicide
Research article:
GABAA Receptor Promoter Hypermethylation in Suicide Brain: Implications for the Involvement of Epigenetic Processes
July 31, 2008
By JOHN MINER
The London Free Press
London scientists say they're on the road to finding a treatment that could alter the chemical process in the brain that can lead to depression and suicide.
The Robarts Research Institute study of brains of people who committed suicide and people who died from other causes has turned up differences that may open the door to new treatments for depression.
"It looks like there is a whole new world opening up," said Michael Poulter, also a professor in the department of physiology and pharmacology at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.
The study led by Poulter and Hymie Anisman of the Neuroscience Research Institute at Carleton University in Ottawa found a chemical that can modify DNA in brain cells was 10 times higher in people who had committed suicide.
The effect of the chemical was to lower the activity of a gene known to be involved in coping with stress.
"It's not as active, it's not working at as high a level as it should be," Poulter said.
Reversing the chemical process in the brain won't be easy, but it should be possible, he said.
"The idea is you could have a new drug target to treat depression from what we've found. We are still in early days . . . but nevertheless, it looks quite promising," he said.
Another protein in the same family as the one involved in depression is also found in high levels in people who have schizophrenia, he said.
Depression, once it sets in, is often a difficult neurological disorder to reverse, Poulter said.
The brains for the research were obtained from autopsies at the Semmelweis University Medical School in Budapest and were from Causcasians of about the same age and both sexes.
The control group consisted of brains from people who died suddenly, including from heart attacks and car crashes.
The findings support other research that depression is a serious condition that can't be solved by telling someone to just get over it, Poulter said.
"There is no reason to believe that anymore," he said.
Poulter and Anisman's research, supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, has been published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
Press release:
University of Western Ontario: Study identifies DNA changes in major depression, suicide
Research article:
GABAA Receptor Promoter Hypermethylation in Suicide Brain: Implications for the Involvement of Epigenetic Processes
