Joyousness or sadness is normal reaction to state of life. If any of these lead to certain semi-permanent changes in daily life, then it is termed as mental disorder. Depression is one of the mental disorders with a state of low mood and aversion to activities that exerts a negative effect on a person’s thoughts and behaviour. Adolescent group is probably the world’s largest active group of people, who are getting prone to this state of mind leading to their diminished mental and physical abilities. Depression is closely linked to stress and thus a chronic stressful life can increase the risk of depression. Depression is a complex disease having both genetic and environmental components as contributing factors. In this study an attempt has been made to put forward the understanding of the known genes and their functional relationships with depression and stress with special reference to BDNF and 5-HTTLPR. Analysis of common genetic variants associated with depression, especially in the members of a family who had a previous history, might help in identifying the individuals at risk prior to the onset of depression.

Formulations from the traditional Indian medicine, Ayurveda, have long been considered to have potent life-style enhancing effects, possibly by their effect(s) on key life-history attributes. Although several studies have reported beneficial effects of these formulations on different components of life history, few have investigated their concurrent influence on various life-history traits. Here, we report the results of an investigation showing the effect of two well-known Ayurvedic formulations, Guduchi and Madhuyashti, on fecundity and longevity of Drosophila melanogaster. Flies were either grown (i.e., larval exposure) and/or maintained (i.e., adult exposure) on standard food supplemented with 0.5% Guduchi or 0.5% Madhuyashti. It was observed that the longevity of adult flies of both sexes was not affected on feeding Guduchifood, but fecundity of the females was greatly enhanced. Fecundity was also found to be affected by the adult food and whether their mates were grown on Guduchi or normal food. Madhuyashti, on the other hand, significantly reduced mean longevity and had a stimulatory effect on female fecundity. This fecundity enhancing effect however seemed to be mediated through its effect on the males. Interestingly, much of these effects interacted with age in a complex way, making it difficult to generalize the overall effect of these formulations on the reproductive output of the flies. Ourstudy underlines the importance of evaluating the interacting effects of these (and similar) formulations on a range of life-history traits in a holistic way to understand their utility better.