Trauma-Resistant Genes

Researchers have isolated a gene whose variation may help explain why some victims of childhood abuse avoid adult depression. “Knowing what those variations are eventually could help clinicians individualize care for their patients by predicting who may be at risk or suggesting more precise avenues for treatment,” says National Institute of Mental Health Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. The study was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry and funded by the NIMH.

For more information, the NIMH has a press release here, while Scientific American has a brief here, and the abstract of the original study is available here.