Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 9. Source pages: 10.
The National Institute of Mental Health has granted Tulane University a five-year, $3.13 million grant to study the causes of Major Depressive Disorder, said a Tulane announcement last fall.
Dr. Jinying Zhao, associate professor of epidemiology at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and principal investigator. According to the announcement, the researchers will attempt to identify alterations of genetic makeup, called “epigenetic” changes, that may cause the disorder. “Epigenetic changes are related to many psychosocial, behavioral and/or environmental factors,” says Zhao in the announcement. The researchers will compare the DNA of twin pairs only one of which has Major Depressive Disorder.
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