The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and its hormone receptors, i.e. the angiotensin and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), have emerged as important targets for central nervous system disorders and in particular for major depression.
Extensive distribution of the different components of renin angiotensin system (RAS) in the brain, along with their roles in promoting anxiety, depression and brain inflammation, opposes RAS as a potential therapeutic target in major depression.
The major findings regarding the genetics of stress response and stress-related disorders are: (i) variations in genes involved in the sympathetic system or in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis are associated with altered stress responses; (ii) genes related to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system or inflammation/immune response show associations with cardiovascular disorders; (iii) genes involved in monoaminergic neurotransmitter systems are associated with bipolar disorder and unipolar depression.
The major findings regarding the genetics of stress response and stress-related disorders are: (i) variations in genes involved in the sympathetic system or in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis are associated with altered stress responses; (ii) genes related to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system or inflammation/immune response show associations with cardiovascular disorders; (iii) genes involved in monoaminergic neurotransmitter systems are associated with bipolar disorder and unipolar depression.