Volume 12 Issue 5, May 2007

Resilience to stress and other environmental challenges involves a convergent genetic interaction rather than a single gene within the human DNA. Cover illustration shows examples of hidden complex genetic make-up within the DNA of individuals supposedly facilitating resilience under challenging conditions (right) or leading to vulnerability in the face severe challenges (left). Jabbi et al. page 483–490 shows that peripheral endocrine and behavioral responses to psychological and endocrine stressors involves a convergent genetic modulation in polymorphic variations of catechol-O-methyltransferase, serotonin transporter and monoamine oxidase A genes. These results suggest that a convergent genetic pathway involving monoaminergic genes may underlie susceptibility to stress related disorders like major depression. For more information on this topic, please refer to article by Jabbi et al. on pages 483–490.