Gene Found to be Contributor to Suicide

Gene Found to be Contributor to Suicide
Submitted by Nimisha Sachdev on Wed, 03/30/2011 – 09:52

A study published in the journal, Molecular Psychiatry and funded by the National Institute of Mental health and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention found that someone’s genetic make-up could make them more at-risk for committing suicide.

Researchers found that a small region on chromosome 2 includes four different genes, including ACP1. They examined DNA samples from 2,700 bipolar individuals, 1,201 with a history of suicide, and 1,497 without such a history. They found that people with higher than normal levels of ACP1 in their brains were more likely to commit suicide. Specifically, people with one copy of the genetic variant were 1.4 times more likely to commit suicide, and people with two copies of the ACP1 gene were nearly three times as likely.

“What’s promising are the implications of this work for learning more about the biology of suicide and the medications used to treat patients who may be at risk”, said leader of the study Dr. Virginia L. Willour. “Not everyone with bipolar disorder can take lithium because of its side effects. If we could give them another option, that would be fantastic”.

In the United States, an estimated 1.4% of people die from suicide and around 4.6% of the population has tried it. Of those with bipolar disorder living in the US, around 47% think about committing suicide, and around 25% actually make an attempt.

http://frenchtribune.com/avis/114167-gene-found-be-contributor-suicide