Gene link to mental health
Thrilling virtual ride opens at heritage park
AN immersive experience of the life of a coal miner is now open at the Rhondda Heritage Park.
Visitors will be able to take a virtual ride on the last dram of coal to the surface, taking in the twists and turns of the vast rail network while experiencing the sights and sounds of what it would have been like working underground.
The newly launched ‘Dram: The Cinematic Experience’ forms part of the Black Gold Experience underground guided tour.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council cabinet Member for environment and leisure with responsibility for heritage service and visitor attractions, councillor Ann Crimmings, said: “The new Dram Cinematic Experience adds a new dimension to any visit to the Welsh Mining Experience as the Council continues its investment at the popular family tourist attraction.
“In recent years, substantial council investment has resulted in an exciting, new digital/audio facility, the redesign of the internal layout, the opening of Cafe Bracchi, the new exhibition area - and now a new and exciting addition to the Black Gold Experience Underground Guided Tour for 2018 - Dram: The Cinematic Experience. “Even if you have been along to the Welsh Mining Experience to meet our miners on previous occasions, or are a regular visitor, it is well worth a return visit to take your seat.”
The Welsh Mining Experience is situated at the former Lewis Merthyr Colliery, a real-life coal mine which once produced thousands of tonnes of coal each week.
Tickets for the Black Gold Experience underground guided tour can be booked by calling 01443 682 036 A MAJOR study has identified 44 genetic variants which are risk factors for depression, 30 of which are newly discovered.
Researchers found the genetic basis for depression is shared with other psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, and that all humans carry some of the 44 risk factors.
The analysis also suggested that having a higher body mass index (BMI) is linked to an increased risk of depression.
They found a significant number of the genetic variants identified were directly linked to the targets of current antidepressant medications.
Depression affects around 14% of the global population and is the biggest contributor to longterm disability worldwide, but only about half of patients respond well to existing treatments.
The international study, by the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium and co-led by King’s College London, is the largest carried out into genetic risk factors for depression, involving more than 200 scientists.
Previous studies have struggled to identify more than a handful of genetic variants associated with depression.
By combining seven separate data sets, the research team included data on more than 135,000 people with depression along with more than 344,000 controls.
Dr Gerome Breen, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, said: “With this study, depression genetics has advanced to the forefront of genetic discovery.
“The new genetic variants discovered have the potential to revitalise depression treatment.”
Professor Cathryn Lewis, also of the IoPPN, said: “This study has shed a bright light on the genetic basis of depression, but it is only the first step.”