DNA’s Moody Temperament: Gene variant linked to depression-ready brain

Scientists have for the first time seen what a genetic predisposition to depression looks like in the brain. Brain images show that people who inherit a short version of a particular gene have poor control over neural reactions to threats and stress.

BLUE BRAINS. In this brain image, colored areas denote various degrees of sparseness in the amygdala (arrow) and the cingulate (multicolored area) of people with a short serotonin-transporter gene.