Parents With Depression And Anxiety Can Pass On The Risk Of Developing Mental Illness Onto Their Children, Study Suggests

Parents pass on the risk of developing depression and anxiety to their children, according to a new study conducted by the researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Depression and anxiety could be hereditary, claims a new study conducted by the researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Researchers claim children are more likely to inherit the genes for anxiety and depression from their parents, if they show the same characteristics.

The team of researchers studied brain circuitry in 600 young rhesus monkeys. The overactive regions involved three brain areas that pass on from generation to generation. According to the researchers, these three regions probably are the cause of anxiety and depression in children, International Business Times noted.

In a statement, lead study author Ned Kalin said, "Overactivity of these three brain regions are inherited brain alterations that are directly linked to the later life risk to develop anxiety and depression."

Researchers used brain imaging to measure behavior related to anxiety during this encounter.

The researchers pointed out those children who showed over activity in the identified region tend to show symptoms related to extreme anxiety and depression early in life. Other reports from The Health Site claim that the passing of genes for temperamental anxiety and depression is common to monkeys and humans.

Basically, we think that to a certain extent, anxiety can provide an evolutionary advantage because it helps an individual recognize and avoid danger, but when the circuits are over-active, it becomes a problem and can result in anxiety and depressive disorders," Kalin explains

Kalin added, "This is a big step in understanding the neural underpinnings of inherited anxiety and begins to give us more selective targets for treatment."

Almost 35 percent of the anxiety-related tendencies could be explained by the family history of the concerned individual, the researchers noted. Furthermore, the researchers also found that the genetic transfer was aided because of the function of the brain structure and not the size.

That being said, some amount of anxiety is acceptable as it helps individuals to recognize and overcome danger. However, the researchers say that overactive brain structures might pose a problem as they could induce disorders associated to depression and anxiety.

The researchers hope to understand the fundamental of inherited anxiety and accordingly design target-specific treatments.

The study findings have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.