Study maps sex-specific genetics of depression
An international team led by Australia’s QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute reports in Nature Communications that genetic factors contribute more to depression risk in women than men, identifying about 13,000 DNA changes linked to depression from hundreds of thousands of participants. The study found nearly twice as many genetic 'flags' in women as in men and stronger overlap with metabolic traits in women, suggesting biological differences that could guide sex-specific treatments; current analyses focused on people of European ancestry with plans to expand diversity.
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📌 Key Facts
- Dataset included ~130,000 women and ~65,000 men diagnosed with depression among hundreds of thousands analyzed.
- About 13,000 DNA changes tied to depression: ~7,000 shared across sexes and ~6,000 female-specific.
- Women’s depression-linked genes overlapped more with metabolic traits, potentially explaining symptom differences and informing tailored therapies.