Genome-wide association study of recurrent early-onset major depressive disorder.

A genome-wide association study was carried out in 1020 case subjects with recurrent early-onset major depressive disorder (MDD) (onset before age 31) and 1636 control subjects screened to exclude lifetime MDD. Subjects were genotyped with the Affymetrix 6.0 platform.

Genetics of recurrent early-onset major depression (GenRED): significant linkage on chromosome 15q25-q26 after fine mapping with single nucleotide polymorphism markers.

Objective: The authors studied a dense map of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) DNA markers on chromosome 15q25-q26 to maximize the informativeness of genetic linkage analyses in a region where they previously reported suggestive evidence for linkage of recurrent early-onset major depressive disorder.

Method: In 631 European-ancestry families with multiple cases of recurrent early-onset major depressive disorder, 88 SNPs were genotyped, and multipoint allele-sharing linkage analyses were carried out. Marker-marker linkage disequilibrium was minimized, and a simulation study with founder haplotypes from these families suggested that linkage scores were not inflated by linkage disequilibrium.

Genetics of recurrent early-onset major depression (GenRED): final genome scan report.

Objective: The authors carried out a genomewide linkage scan to identify chromosomal regions likely to contain genes that contribute to susceptibility to recurrent early-onset major depressive disorder, the form of the disorder with the greatest reported risk to relatives of index cases.

Method: Microsatellite DNA markers were studied in 656 families with two or more such cases (onset before age 31 in probands and age 41 in other relatives), including 1,494 informative "all possible" affected relative pairs (there were 894 independent affected sibling pairs). Analyses included a primary multipoint allele-sharing analysis (with ALLEGRO) and a secondary logistic regression analysis taking the sex of each relative pair into account (male-male, male-female, female-female).

Cognitive therapy vs medications in the treatment of moderate to severe depression.

Background: There is substantial evidence that antidepressant medications treat moderate to severe depression effectively, but there is less data on cognitive therapy's effects in this population.

Objective: To compare the efficacy in moderate to severe depression of antidepressant medications with cognitive therapy in a placebo-controlled trial.

Design: Random assignment to one of the following: 16 weeks of medications (n = 120), 16 weeks of cognitive therapy (n = 60), or 8 weeks of pill placebo (n = 60).

Dieting and the development of eating disorders in obese women: results of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Some investigators fear that dieting may precipitate binge eating and other adverse behavioral consequences.

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine whether dieting would elicit binge eating and mood disturbance in individuals free of these complications before treatment.

Design: A total of 123 obese women were randomly assigned to 1) a 1000 kcal/d diet that included 4 servings/d of a liquid meal replacement (MR); 2) a 1200-1500 kcal/d balanced deficit diet (BDD) of conventional foods; or 3) a nondieting (ND) approach that discouraged energy restriction.