Science Talk

Steven L. · Guest

Dinosaurs were nervous rex
Published Date: 06 June 2008
By Craig Brown

A GENETIC link between dinosaurs and humans could provide the key to
developing a treatment for depression, according to Scots scientists.
Experts have discovered that the component in human DNA which triggers
depression also existed in prehistoric beasts – and would have helped
determine their moods.

Using cutting-edge technology, scientists at Aberdeen University have
identified the genetic "switches" they believe turn off and on genes
that control our behaviour and moods.

The switches, also known as "enhancers", have remained unchanged in
human genes for hundreds of millions of years. Scientist were able to
make the link between humans and dinosaurs by examining the DNA
structures of other species of animals and birds.

They believe the enhancers may hold the key to unlocking the causes of
depression and explain why some people develop the illness while others,
with a similar genetic make-up, do not.

Although the enhancers are found in every animal alive today, their
location has remained a mystery until now.

Dr Alasdair MacKenzie, senior lecturer at Aberdeen University, who is
leading the study, said: "It appears the switch that drives the gene
(which causes depression] seems to have controlled feelings of fear and
anxiety in our ancestors 300 million years ago.

"The difference is that, originally, it was part of our survival system.
The pathology of this gene now is people suffer these same feelings of
fear and anxiety when they don't need them."

The cells containing these genes are found in the amygdala – located
deep within the human brain – the primary role of which is in the
processing and recall of emotional reactions.

Dr MacKenzie said the breakthrough was in focusing on the switches that
drive the genes rather than the genes themselves.

He likened it to "moving from looking at a car to examining its engine"
and said the distances between the switch and the part of the brain they
affected were "as surprising as having a light bulb in London with the
switch for controlling it in Liverpool".

Researchers will now team up with Liverpool University and King's
College London to launch a £1 million research programme in the hope of
finding a cure for the debilitating condition.

They will work with people who have depression to examine their DNA and
look for common changes in their genetic switches. This could lead to
drug treatments which will target the cause of depression and not just
its symptoms.

Professor Darren Monckton, a genetic expert at Glasgow University said
identifying the switches could be one of the biggest challenges for
scientists.

He said: "Normally, when you looking for a disease-causing mutation,
it's inside the DNA, but in a linear form it can be distant from the
gene it is affecting."

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/uk/Dinosaurs-were-nervous-rex.4159049.jp

--
Steven L.
Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net
Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.

Vernon Balbert · Guest

On 6/6/2008 4:33 PM, Steven L. went clickity clack on the keyboard and
produced this interesting bit of text:

veritas · Guest

On Jun 6, 7:15 pm, Vernon Balbert <vbalb...@gmail.nospam.com> wrote:

Guest

On Jun 9, 12:50 pm, Robert Carnegie <rja.carne...@excite.com> wrote:

Mark Isaak · Guest