Edinburgh and Aberdeen depression study given £4.7m funds
Scottish researchers have been awarded £4.7m to study clinical depression.
Teams from the universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen have received the funding from the Wellcome Trust to study the condition in new ways in the hope of developing better treatments.
The five-year programme will see scientists study people who have what are seen as depression risk factors.
These include a family history of low mood, or childhood psychological trauma.
Researchers will then use memory, reasoning and mental speed tests as well as brain imaging to find out whether specific groups correspond to specific disorders.
Lead researcher Andrew McIntosh, professor of biological psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh, said: "For many people, the symptom of low mood is the most understandable of reactions to loss or stress, yet we remain ignorant of its causes and mechanisms.
"This means that progress in discovering new and more effective treatments is slow.
"This Wellcome Trust grant will enable us to make significant progress with this common and disabling condition."