Genetic Clue for Personalizing Depression Treatment and Understanding Stress Triggers.

Scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina have identified a stress-regulated gene, NPAS4, that plays a role in the link between long-term stress and a common type of depressive behavior in mice. The gene was needed for long-term stress to produce a loss of interest in activities that were once rewarding or pleasurable, often called anhedonia. The finding could lead to new, targeted treatments for depression as a result of chronic stress. The study's findings suggest that there is not one central mechanism by which stress causes the varied symptoms of depression. Instead, multiple pathways could connect stress with different types of symptoms.