MK4MDD

Genetic/Epigenetic Locus Search Cross Data Search

Study Report

Reference

Citation	Henkel, 2004 PubMed
Full Info	Henkel, V., Baghai, T.C., Eser, D., Zill, P., Mergl, R., Zwanzger, P., Schule, C., Bottlender, R., Jager, M., Rupprecht, R. et al. (2004) The gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) receptor alpha-3 subunit gene polymorphism in unipolar depressive disorder: a genetic association study. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet, 126B, 82-87.

Study

Hypothesis or Background	There is evidence that genes coding for the gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor may be involved in the etiology of affective disorders. Recently, an association between a CA-repeat in the GABRA 3 gene and bipolar disorder had been reported.
Sample Information	201 unipolar depressive patients and 151 healthy subjects
Method Detail	The present study aimed at investigating the association between this polymorphism and unipolar major depressive disorder. The sample consisted of 201 unipolar depressive patients and 151 healthy subjects. All study participants were unrelated German individuals of the same ethnogeographical origin.
Method Keywords	genotyping
Result	No differences in genotype frequencies between unipolar patients and healthy subjects were found for GABRA 3 (P = 0.08). However, a significant difference of allelic frequencies was observed in female patients (n = 128) compared to female controls (n = 81) (P < or = 0.0001). This effect was not present in the group of male patients (n = 73) compared to male healthy subjects (n = 70) (P = 0.24).
Conclusions	The results of our study indicate that GABRA 3 gene might also be involved in the genetic pathophysiology of unipolar major depressive disorder (at least in female patients), even if the findings do not support a predominant role of GABRA 3.

Relationships reported by Henkel, 2004