Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Discovering endophenotypes for major depression.

Gregor Hasler1, Wayne C Drevets, Husseini K Manji

  • 1Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA. g.hasler@bluewin.ch

Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
|June 24, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Acute and post-acute neurobehavioral responses to lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy subjects: a randomized controlled study.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026
Same author

Psychedelic-assisted therapy: a survey on the clinical methods of Swiss physicians.

Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology·2026
Same author

KET-MCI: A Pilot Safety and Tolerability Study of Single Infusion Intravenous Ketamine for Older Adults with Depression and Mild Cognitive Impairment.

The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry·2026
Same author

Effectiveness and Tolerability of Vortioxetine in Major Depressive Disorder: A Real-World Study in Switzerland.

Clinical drug investigation·2026
Same author

Course of well-being and mental health in Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic: results of a national survey within the framework of the COH-FIT study.

Frontiers in psychiatry·2026
Same author

Association between Cortical Gyrification and Major Depression: Clinical Correlates.

Psychopathology·2026
Same journal

Auditory event-related potentials and psychosis dimensions.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026
Same journal

Cultural humility in the teaching and practice of clinical care.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026
Same journal

Kappa opioid receptors mediate aversion-and it matters.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026
Same journal

Splice isoforms of the histone variant macroH2A1 differentially regulate hippocampal gene expression and memory formation.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026
Same journal

Chronic ethanol self-administration alters dopamine in the caudate nucleus and putamen of rhesus macaques in a sex-dependent manner.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026
Same journal

In memoriam-Shigeto Yamawaki, M.D., Ph.D. (1954-2026).

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026
See all related articles

Improving the genetic study of major depression requires refining phenotype definitions. This involves identifying specific psychopathological and biological endophenotypes to reduce diagnostic heterogeneity and advance genetic research.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Genetics
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Genetic studies of major depression face challenges due to imprecise phenotype definitions.
  • Heterogeneity in major depression diagnosis impedes understanding its genetic and neurobiological underpinnings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose strategies for enhancing the phenotypic definition of major depression for genetic research.
  • To introduce a two-level endophenotype model for major depression: psychopathological and biological.

Main Methods:

  • Dissecting the depressive phenotype into specific psychopathological components (e.g., mood bias, impaired reward function, cognitive deficits).
  • Reviewing neurobiological and genetic findings linked to these components.
  • Identifying consistent heritable biological markers as biological endophenotypes (e.g., REM sleep, brain abnormalities, neurotransmitter system dysfunctions).

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Proposed psychopathological endophenotypes include mood bias, impaired reward function, cognitive deficits, neurovegetative signs, and stress sensitivity.
  • Proposed biological endophenotypes encompass REM sleep abnormalities, brain structural/functional changes, and dysregulation in neurochemical systems (serotonergic, catecholaminergic, HPA axis, CRH).
  • Discussion of associations between psychopathological and biological endophenotypes regarding specificity, stability, heritability, and plausibility.

Conclusions:

  • Refining major depression phenotypes through endophenotypes is crucial for advancing genetic and neurobiological research.
  • A new classification system is advocated to mitigate depression's heterogeneity, facilitating a clearer understanding of its genetic basis.
  • The proposed endophenotype framework aims to improve the precision of genetic studies for major depression.