Suicide by inheritance?

Scientists have discovered the genetic causes of suicidal behaviorCopper news
Suicidal behavior is caused by genetic factors, reports The Daily Telegraph (Suicidal tendencies 'may be genetic').

This conclusion was reached by a group of researchers led by Martin Kohli, who is an employee of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, as well as the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics in Miami, USA. The research report is published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

Scientists have tried to find genetic factors that cause the development of major depressive disorder and suicidal behavior. To do this, they studied various variants of the NTRK2 gene encoding the brain neurotrophic factor receptor, a protein that is responsible for the formation and activity of nerve cells.

The researchers analyzed the genome of 394 patients with depression, 113 of whom attempted suicide. They compared the data obtained with the hereditary information of 366 healthy volunteers. In addition, a control study was conducted with the participation of 744 Germans and 921 African-Americans, of whom 152 and 119 people attempted suicide, respectively.

Scientists have found that carriers of three "dangerous" mutations of the NTRK2 gene tried to commit suicide on average 4.5 times more often than patients whose genome contained normal variants of this gene. According to the authors, the results of the study confirm the role of hereditary factors in the formation of suicidal behavior.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru02.02.2010