Research conducted on a sample of 63,394 individuals found significant links between genes associated with depression and intelligence.
Although we are beginning to understand the biological pathways involved in depression, it is not yet understood how the two phenomena are linked to each other.
However, a new study published in the journal Psychological Medicine has found a link between genes associated with depression and intelligence.
The team investigated the possible link by identifying and mapping the relationships between 8,901 specific genetic variants that affect the risk of depression and the specific traits that are commonly associated with depression.
They found an association between these genetic variants and both intellectual disability (i.e. a low IQ) and being male.call the best rehab in cape town today. They also found significant associations with a higher score on an IQ test as well as with depression.
It was already known that depression was associated with certain changes in the brain such as alterations in the organization of brain structures, and an increased number of nerve cells. However, this is the first study to link genetic variants in brain structure and intelligence to depression.
The team also found that genetic variations affecting intelligence could be a link between depressive traits and a higher IQ score. This is important because the former is often linked to the latter.
The team also found that genetic variations affecting depression were associated with a higher score on an IQ test, but not with depression.
What the researchers say
Lead author Dr. Lotte Bommenreiter, a researcher at the Psychiatric Research Centre in the Netherlands, comments:
“The genetic and neural mechanisms underlying mood disorders are complex. What we were able to find out is that specific genes which modify the brain’s structure are related to intelligence.
“It is important to emphasize that we studied high-intelligence people in the Netherlands, not psychiatric patients. It might be interesting to study these people to see if there are also differences in gene expression between healthy individuals and patients with mood disorders.”
Although the findings show that individual genes might explain some of the relationship between depression and intelligence, the team notes that this research cannot determine which particular genes are involved. The link might also be due to environmental factors which affect the development of genes and brain structure in infancy.