Mitochondrial inheritance in depression, dysmotility and migraine?

Background: Several studies have reported a high degree of association of the common conditions of depression, bowel dysmotility and migraine. Mitochondrial dysfunction and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variants have been linked individually to each of these three conditions, providing a plausible hypothesis for the reported association. If this hypothesis is correct, the matrilineal relatives (who all share essentially the same mtDNA sequence) of patients with mitochondrial disease secondary to inherited mtDNA mutations would be expected to have an elevated prevalence of each of these three conditions.

A high predisposition to depression and anxiety in mothers and other matrilineal relatives of children with presumed maternally inherited mitochondrial disorders.

Although mothers of chronically ill children are generally prone to depression and anxiety, clinical observation suggests that these symptoms are relatively increased in mothers of children with maternally inherited mitochondrial disorders (MIMD). In this study, the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and a non-standardized mental health questionnaire were administered to 15 mothers of children with MIMD and 17 mothers of children with autosomal recessive metabolic disorders (ARMD) followed in one clinic. One half of the children in both groups suffer from mental retardation and/or > or = 2 hospitalizations/year related to their genetic disorder, and were labeled as severely affected.