Exercise gene could help with depression

Boosting an exercise-related gene in the brain works as a powerful anti-depressant in mice-a finding that could lead to a new anti-depressant drug target, according to a Yale School of Medicine. "The VGF exercise-related gene and target for drug development could be even better than chemical antidepressants because it is already present in the brain," said Ronald Duman, professor of psychiatry and senior author of the study. Currently available anti-depressants help 65 percent of patients and require weeks to months before the patients experience relief. Duman said, "it is known that exercise improves brain function and mental health, and provides protective benefits in the event of a brain injury or disease, but how this all happens in the brain is not well understood." He and his colleagues designed a custom microarray that was optimised to show small changes in gene expression, particularly in the brain's hippocampus, a limbic structure highly sensitive to stress hormones, depression, and anti-depressants.