In recent decades we have seen a significant increase in the percentage of people diagnosed with the most varied mental health problems, with special emphasis on depression and the anxiety.
Recently, research carried out by researchers at Pompeu Fabra University, in Barcelona, Spain, appears to have found the origin of this crucial problem in modern life.
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According to scientists, a cross between Homo sapiens and Denisovans (a race of humans that became extinct tens of thousands of years ago), which occurred around 60,000 years ago, triggered the emergence of the gene that negatively regulates our mood.
This discovery was only possible after genetic sequencing of modern human DNA. With it, researchers discovered a genetic variant influenced by the Denisovan gene SLC30A9, which, apparently, is responsible for the emotional instabilities seen today.
(Image: disclosure)
The experts responsible for the research carried out at Pompeu Fabra University claim, within the scope of the study, that the genetic mutation responsible for mental health problems, it acts by deregulating the distribution of zinc throughout the body, which ultimately harms the humor.
This occurs because the supply of serotonin, the neurotransmitter known as the “happiness hormone”, is also impaired frontally.
Researcher Elena Bosch, who is co-author of the study, commented on this “detail”.
“We found that this mutation certainly had implications for zinc transport within the cell,” she said.
This gene, which arose with the conception of the first half-Denisovan, half-Denisovan Homo sapiens, spread through human populations living in Asia, who later migrated to Europe and the Americas.
The “good side” of mutation
The study also pointed out that the mutation that occurred in the crossing between Homo sapiens and Denisovans created a population of humans more resistant to cold.
Another professor, Rubén Vicente, also interacted with the study and made this observation.
“Elena contacted me because her team had observed a change in an amino acid in a zinc transporter, which was very different between populations in Africa and Asia today,” he said. “From there, we started asking ourselves questions and looking for answers,” he concluded.
According to Professor Vicente, the mutation linked to zinc affected the metabolism of these individuals, making it faster. This triggers reactions that help the body to better deal with the cold.
This characteristic was fundamental for the populations of Denisovans and Homo sapiens resist the extreme cold that struck the Asia in the last Ice Age.
In any case, this “superpower” brought as a side effect a marked predisposition to suffer from psychiatric problems, which affected not only these ancient humans but also subsequent populations, reaching even U.S.
Among the problems that may be related to this gene are, in addition to depression and anxiety, anorexia nervosa, hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia.
Graduated in History and Human Resources Technology. Passionate about writing, today he lives the dream of working professionally as a Web Content Writer, writing articles in several different niches and formats.