Korean scientists find gene blocking depression

A team of Korean scientists has recently discovered a gene that could control for depression via molecular biology. The gene, called neuritin, is responsible for keeping healthy neuron connections in certain parts of the brain, according to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Research team leader Professor Son Hyeon said Monday they discovered that an activity-dependent gene called neuritin, found in the neuron of the hippocampus, a brain part responsible for memory forming, organizing, and storing, participates in regulating depression levels. The research team said that it examined the brains of rats with depression and found that the level of neuritin had dropped significantly. Such levels returned to normal when they were dosed with antidepressants. The team is hoping the discovery of the neuritin functions would contribute to the early diagnosis of depression or in the development of antidepressants. (QNA)