Project Summary

Roy H. Perlis, M.D. (Young Investigator 2001) of Massachusetts General Hospital, will investigate the frequency of a variant of a gene called tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH-A) in patients with and without anger attacks.  Anger attacks represent a distinct subtype of major depressive disorder, affecting between 30 and 40% of depressed subjects.  Animal models suggest that aggression may be associated with a certain variant of the TPH-A gene.  It is hypothesized that patients with a history of major depression and anger attacks are more likely to have the TPH A allele than patients with major depression who do not have anger attacks.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Depression (Unipolar)\Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

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