A new international study led by a Korean researcher has succeeded in identifying a gene linked with depression, which may create a new target for drugs for the mood disorder.

In a series of experiments on rats, researchers found that a gene called neuritin in the brain plays a key role in depression and other mood disorders. They also discovered that by boosting the gene’s activity one can protect the brain from the disorders.

To test whether neuritin is directly linked to depressed behavior, Son Hyeon, a professor of college of medicine at Hanyang University, and her colleagues studied a group of rats, subjecting them to chronic and stressful environments. And they found that all of the rats with depressed behavior showed low levels of neuritin gene activity. But the neuritin gene activity improved when the rats were injected with an antidepressant called fluoxetine.

Son, who led the research, claims that the result may open a new target for drugs to treat depression and other mood disorders.

Researchers have previously identified that decreased neuronal activities in the major part of the brain called the hippocampus contribute to the symptoms of depression, but the mechanisms underlying this effect are still poorly characterized. But the new study has identified the mechanisms behind depression, according to Son.

The study, supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and the Brain Research Center of the 21st Century Frontier Research Program, was published online on Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@herladm.com)