The results contain some intriguing findings. For example, while hypotheses regarding major depression and related traits have tended to focus on monoamine neurotransmitters, our results as a whole point much more strongly to glutamatergic neurotransmission. Moreover, the particular glutamate-receptor genes prioritized by DEPICT (GRIK3, GRM1, GRM5, and GRM8) suggest the importance of processes involving communication between neurons on an intermediate timescale,18,19 such as learning and memory. Such processes are also implicated by many of the enriched gene sets, which relate to altered reactions to stress and novelty in mice (e.g., ‘decreased exploration in a new environment,’ ‘increased anxiety-related response,’ ‘behavioral fear response’).
