When it comes to depression, it has long been believed that genetics and the brain are crucial factors in its development. One study from the Universities of Münster and Bonn and the Jülich Research Center have now come to a different conclusion and have found that mental disorders cannot be reduced to either genes or the brain.
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Study: Genetics and brain have no influence on depression
In total, data from more than 1,809 adults were examined, including 861 with a diagnosis of depression. Using imaging techniques and analysis methods, the researchers found that there are no neurobiological differences between people with and without depression. Differences in brain data between the two groups were only 2 percent. This shows that deviations were remarkably small and contradicts what has been true for years in psychiatric research.