Changed cortical risk gene expression in major depression and shared changes in cortical gene expression between major depression and bipolar disorders

© The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2019. Background: Mood disorders likely occur in someone with a genetic predisposition who encounters a deleterious environmental factor leading to dysregulated physiological processes due to genetic mutations and epigenetic mechanisms altering gene expression. To gain data to support this hypothesis, we measured levels of gene expression in three cortical regions known to be affected by the pathophysiologies of major depression and bipolar disorders. Methods: Levels of RNA were measured using the Affymetrix™ Human Exon 1.0 ST Array in Brodmann’s areas 9, 10 and 33 (left hemisphere) from individuals with major depression, bipolar disorder and age- and sex-matched controls with changed expression taken as a fold change in RNA ⩾1.2 at p < 0.01. Data were analysed using JMP® genomics 6.0 and the probable biological consequences of changes in gene expression determined using Core and Pathway Designer Analyses in Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Results: There were altered levels of RNA in Brodmann’s area 9 (major depression = 424; bipolar disorder = 331), Brodmann’s area 10 (major depression = 52; bipolar disorder = 24) and Brodmann’s area 33 (major depression = 59 genes; bipolar disorder = 38 genes) in mood disorders. No gene was differentially expressed in all three regions in either disorder. There was a high correlation between fold changes in levels of RNA from 112 genes in Brodmann’s area 9 from major depression and bipolar disorder (r2 = 0.91, p < 0.001). Levels of RNA for four risk genes for major depression were lower in Brodmann’s area 9 in that disorder. Conclusion: Our data argue that there are complex regional-specific changes in cortical gene expression in major depression and bipolar disorder that includes the expression of some risk genes for major depression in those with that disorder. It could be hypothesised that the common changes in gene expression in major depression and bipolar disorder are involved in the genesis of symptoms common to both disorders.