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Sex-specific disease-associated modules for depression

Nature Medicine volume 23, pages 1015–1017 (2017)Cite this article

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A recent study reveals sexually dimorphic disease-associated gene-expression modules and hub genes in postmortem brains from female and male individuals with depression. These modules are conserved in mouse models of depression.

Depression is a widespread, debilitating illness that is the leading cause of disability worldwide1. Rates of depression are two- to three-fold greater in women than in men, and previous studies conducted over past decades have reported differences in neurotransmitter, endocrine, and metabolic systems that could contribute to sex differences in mood susceptibility2,3,4,5. Despite these efforts, the heterogeneity of depression and the problems inherent in identifying illness-related gene variants have made it difficult to identify the molecular and neurobiological bases of depression, particularly, the greater incidence of the condition in women. In this issue, Labonté et al.6 use a bioinformatics approach7,8 to demonstrate that depression is characterized by different disease-associated gene modules in the postmortem brains of women relative to those in men, and that these modules are conserved in mice. The findings define for the first time the notable sexually dimorphic gene-expression networks in key brain regions that are implicated in depression, and so will help to elucidate the pathophysiology of and potential avenues for treating depression, particularly in women.

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Figure 1: Sex-specific gene-expression modules in depression.

Debbie Maizels/Springer Nature

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  1. Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States

    Ronald S Duman

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  1. Ronald S Duman
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Correspondence to Ronald S Duman.

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Duman, R. Sex-specific disease-associated modules for depression. Nat Med 23, 1015–1017 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.4391

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