Risk pathways to major depression using big Danish and Swedish data
Official title: Risk Pathways to Major Depression: Integrating Genetic-Epidemiological, Developmental, and Molecular Genetic Strategies in Danish and Swedish National Registers
Funded at Virginia Commonwealth University · NIH-11517264 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A large study using health and genetic data from Denmark and Sweden will help understand what genetic and environmental factors contribute to major depression across how people grow up.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Commonwealth University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Richmond, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2025 |
| Project end | February 28, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $154,472 |
| NIH project number | 3R01MH139865-02S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11517264 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals in Denmark or Sweden whose data are included in the national registers; potential future participants would be those identified as high risk or with clinical depression in those populations.
✕Less likely to help
People not represented in the Danish or Swedish registers or without a history of depression may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project will combine years of health, genetic, and environmental data from national registers in Denmark and Sweden to map how risk factors for major depression unfold over development. The team will create composite genetic risk scores based on family data and test how these scores relate to clinical features such as age at onset and recurrence. They will also develop and validate measures of environmental stressors, including chronic hardships and acute life events, to see how they interact with genetics. The work aims to clarify how genetics and environment together shape depression risk over time using large population datasets.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could inform personalized risk profiles and earlier, more targeted prevention strategies for people at higher risk of depression.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work with large population registers has shown meaningful links between genetics, environment, and depression, supporting potential for impactful insights here.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kendler, Kenneth Seedman — Virginia Commonwealth University
- Study coordinator: Kendler, Kenneth Seedman
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Trans-Nordic look at extreme major depression genetics
A large genetics study is exploring what makes extreme forms of major depression unique, by studying many thousands of people and their DNA.
-
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Understanding immune dysfunction and social stress in veterans with depression
A study in U.S. veterans with major depressive disorder looks at how stress-related immune changes may be linked to depression and heart health.
-
Understanding genetic and environmental pathways to major depression in Nordic health records
A large study will look at how genes and life experiences combine over time to influence major depression, using Danish and Swedish population data.
-
Detailed brain mapping for bipolar disorder and major depression
Researchers are using thousands of MRI scans to map fine-grained brain structure differences in people with bipolar disorder and major depression compared with people without these conditions.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.