Genomic studies of mood disorders - the brain as a muscle?
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Correspondence: Alexander B Niculescu anicules@iupui.edu
Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, 791 Union Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46202-4887, USA
Genome Biology 2005, 6:215 doi:10.1186/gb-2005-6-4-215
Published: 24 March 2005Abstract
Recent genomic studies showing abnormalities in the fibroblast growth factor system in the postmortem brains of people with major depressive disorder support previous indications of a role for growth factors in mood disorders. Similar molecular pathways, volumetric changes, and the effects of exercise on mood suggest a superficial analogy, and perhaps a deeper relationship, between muscle and brain functioning.