Genome-wide linkage scan in a large bipolar disorder sample from the National Institute of Mental Health genetics initiative suggests putative loci for bipolar disorder, psychosis, suicide, and panic disorder

• Published in: Molecular psychiatry Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 252 - 260
• Main Authors: Cheng, R, Juo, S H, Loth, J E, Nee, J, Iossifov, I, Blumenthal, R, Sharpe, L, Kanyas, K, Lerer, B, Lilliston, B, Smith, M, Trautman, K, Gilliam, T C, Endicott, J, Baron, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 01.03.2006
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Anxiety; Bipolar disorder; Bipolar Disorder - genetics; Chromosome Mapping; Chromosomes; Collaboration; Genetic Linkage; Genetic Markers; Genetics; Genome, Human; Genomes; Humans; Mental disorders; Mental health; National Institutes of Health (U.S.); Nuclear family; Panic attacks; Panic Disorder - genetics; Phenotypes; Psychiatry; Psychosis; Psychotic Disorders - genetics; Suicidal behavior; Suicide; Suicides & suicide attempts; United States; United States; New York; Israel; Jerusalem Israel; United States > US
• ISSN: 1359-4184; 1476-5578
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.mp.4001778

We conducted a 9-cM genome scan in a large bipolar pedigree sample from the National Institute of Mental Health genetics initiative (1060 individuals from 154 multiplex families). We performed parametric and nonparametric analyses using both standard diagnostic models and comorbid conditions thought to identify phenotypic subtypes: psychosis, suicidal behavior, and panic disorder. Our strongest linkage signals (genome-wide significance) were observed on chromosomes 10q25, 10p12, 16q24, 16p13, and 16p12 using standard diagnostic models, and on 6q25 (suicidal behavior), 7q21 (panic disorder) and 16p12 (psychosis) using phenotypic subtypes. Several other regions were suggestive of linkage, including 1p13 (psychosis), 1p21 (psychosis), 1q44, 2q24 (suicidal behavior), 2p25 (psychosis), 4p16 (psychosis, suicidal behavior), 5p15, 6p25 (psychosis), 8p22 (psychosis), 8q24, 10q21, 10q25 (suicidal behavior), 10p11 (psychosis), 13q32 and 19p13 (psychosis). Over half the implicated regions were identified using phenotypic subtypes. Several regions - 1p, 1q, 6q, 8p, 13q and 16p - have been previously reported to be linked to bipolar disorder. Our results suggest that dissection of the disease phenotype can enrich the harvest of linkage signals and expedite the search for susceptibility genes. This is the first large-scale linkage scan of bipolar disorder to analyze simultaneously bipolar disorder, psychosis, suicidal behavior, and panic disorder.