Environmental Modifiers of Familial Risk for MDD

描述（由申请人提供）：职业发展和研究计划 本指导研究科学家发展奖（K 0 l）提案中概述 旨在使候选人能够独立设计和进行 研究基因和环境风险的综合重要性， 儿童和青少年抑郁症的发展因素。 抑郁症是一种慢性疾病，通常在生命早期开始， 是遗传和环境风险因素共同作用的结果。最近的研究 表明抑郁症遗传风险的表型表达 出现在青春期，似乎是由存在缓和 依赖行为的压力性生活事件了解路径（S）， 各种压力环境与遗传风险因素相互作用， 对于了解如何成功地 治疗和/或预防这种使人衰弱的疾病。拟定的研究将 前瞻性地检查环境压力源的频率， 特别是依赖行为的压力源，在青春期增加， 此后继续增加。研究计划的一个重要目标是 确定暴露于特定的环境压力源是否会改变 高和低家族风险青少年抑郁症的家族风险 萧条候选人接受过精神病流行病学的正式培训， 在研究家庭和环境风险因素方面具有研究经验 治疗儿童和青少年抑郁症尼尔·D Ryan，医学博士和伯尼 Devlin博士将担任共同导师。课程作业和教学阅读 遗传流行病学方法，数量遗传学，分子遗传学 技术和临床访谈技术旨在补充 候选人研究培训，并准备他成为一个独立的 调查员

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The career development and research plans outlined in this Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K0l) proposal are designed to enable the candidate to independently design and conduct studies that examine the combined importance of genetic and environmental risk factors for the development of depression in children and adolescents. Depression is a chronic condition that often begins early in life and appears to be the result of both genetic and environmental risk factors. Recent studies have suggested that the phenotypic expression of genetic risk for depression emerges during adolescence and appears to be moderated by the presence of behavior-dependent stressful life events. Understanding the pathway(s) by which various stressful environments interact with genetic risk factors to contribute to the onset of depression is crucial for understanding how to successfully treat and/or prevent this debilitating disease. The proposed study will prospectively examine whether the frequency of environmental stressors, particularly behavior-dependent stressors, increases during adolescence and continue to increase thereafter. An important aim of the research plan is to determine whether exposure to specific environmental stressors modifies the familial risk for depression in adolescents at high- and low-familial risk for depression. The candidate is formally trained in psychiatric epidemiology and has research experience in the study of familial and environmental risk factors for depression in children and adolescents. Neal D. Ryan, M.D. and Bernie Devlin, Ph.D. will serve as co-mentors. Coursework and didactic readings in genetic epidemiologic methods, quantitative genetics, molecular genetic techniques, and clinical interviewing techniques are designed to complement the candidates research training and prepare him to become an independent investigator.