Bipolar: Link Suggested Between Regions On Two Chromosomes 6 & 8 and Bipolar Disorder

Link Suggested Between Regions On Two Chromosomes And Bipolar Disorder: "More than two million American adults have bipolar disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Patients typically experience dramatic mood swings from episodes of euphoria and high energy to feelings of intense sadness, fatigue, and even suicide. Psychiatrists have identified two primary forms of the illness: bipolar I disorder, which is the classic form of recurring mania and depression, and bipolar II disorder, which has less severe episodes of mania.

The resulting analysis involved 1,067 families and 5,179 individuals from North America, Italy, Germany, Portugal, the UK, Ireland, and Israel, who had provided blood samples and family medical histories. The research team combined the data into a single genome scan and found strong genetic signals on chromosomes 6 and 8. The team now hopes to narrow the search to find associations between specific genes and the mental illness.

The study will appear in the October issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics and is available now in the journal's electronic edition online at http:/​/​www.journals.uchicago.edu/​AJHG/​journal/​contents/​v77n4.html.

The original news release can be found here.
Harvard School of Public Health
Date:
2005-09-16"