Healthcare (Commonwealth Union) – For the first time, researchers have uncovered significant genetic distinctions in how men and women experience depression — a discovery that could lead to more personalized approaches to prevention and treatment.
The advance in research with artificial intelligence and other tools capable of greater simulations and analysis unlike many decades back has rapidly advanced life science. These advances have made personalized treatment more and more realistic and feasible.
The study, published in Nature Communications, revealed that genes play a greater role in influencing depression risk among women than men. Scientists identified nearly twice as many genetic markers linked to depression in female DNA compared with male DNA.
Dr. Brittany Mitchell, Senior Researcher at QIMR Berghofer’s Genetic Epidemiology Lab indicated that women are already known to face roughly double the lifetime risk of depression compared to men.
She further pointed out that while it has long been clear that depression manifests differently from person to person, there has been little consistent evidence showing why these differences occur between the sexes — particularly when it comes to genetics.
The scientists came across approximately 7,000 genetic variations that were linked to depression in both men and women, along with an additional 6,000 variations—bringing the total to about 13,000—that appear to affect only females.
According to Dr. Jodi Thomas, the study also revealed differences in how depression may manifest between the sexes.
The findings showed that, in females, the genetic markers for depression have a stronger overlap with those related to metabolic characteristics.
“We found some genetic differences that may help explain why females with depression more often experience metabolic symptoms, such as weight changes or altered energy levels.”
The international research represents the largest investigation of its kind to compare males and females in this context. Scientists examined the DNA of hundreds of thousands of individuals, both with and without depression, including approximately 130,000 women and 65,000 men diagnosed with the condition.
The DNA variations identified by the researchers are inherited genetic differences—traits people are born with—rather than alterations caused by life experiences.
Highlighting the fact that traditionally, most clinical trials and treatment studies have focused primarily on males, Drs Mitchell and Thomas hope their findings will lead to a deeper clinical understanding of depression in women as well.
Dr Thomas indicated that by disentangling the genetic factors that are shared and those that differ between males and females, they gain a more complete understanding of what drives depression—and move closer to developing more tailored treatments.
She further indicated that the findings highlight the importance of considering sex-specific genetic influences in studying depression and other health conditions.
To support further research in this field, Drs Thomas and Mitchell have made their findings publicly accessible, inviting other scientists to conduct additional analyses.
The researchers noted that for this study, genetic data were classified based on DNA samples with XX chromosomes (female) and XY chromosomes (male). They did not include intersex DNA samples or information on gender identity but recognise this as an important direction for future research.
The researchers further pointed out in the study involved about twice as many female participants as male participants, giving it greater statistical power to detect genetic effects in females. In tackling this imbalance, they conducted more analyses to ensure that the results were not merely a result of the unequal sample sizes. These analyses gave verification to the robustness of their conclusions — namely, that genetic factors play a stronger role in depression risk among females and that approximately twice as many DNA variations linked to depression were identified in females compared with males.
