They conclude that genes have something to say in the tendency to suicide

2018/11/22 Agirre Ruiz de Arkaute, Aitziber - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Genetika
• Giza zientziak

For the first time, they have conducted a study to determine whether the genes have something to say in the tendency to suicide, and the result has been positive.Scientists at the University of Utah have conducted research analyzing the DNA of people who have committed suicide. According to the researchers, experiences and the environment affect very much those who have thoughts for suicide, but the genetic aspect also plays a role in the cases in which they materialize suicide.

The research has been carried out from 4,500 samples of DNA of suicides: 45 families with high rates of suicide, with genealogical information of the last 9 generations. Thus, in four genes, variants that can cause a tendency to suicide have been identified.

However, according to the researchers, in addition to these four genes, there are others to be investigated, which could influence the tendency to suicide. Some of them are genes that have been related to inflammatory processes, so there may be a certain relationship between inflammation and mental health, as indicated by the hypotheses that emerge in recent years. The work has been published in the journal Molecular Psychamey.