GENETIC MARKERS ON CHROMOSOME 12 ASSOCIATED TO BIPOLAR OR UNIPOLAR DISORDERS

摘要

The present invention is concerned with the genetic causes for bipolar and genetically related unipolar affective disorders, providing markers and methods of treating and diagnosing bipolar and genetically related unipolar affective disorders and related neuropsychiatric disorders, and providing methods for identifying markers and compounds for use as part of therapeutic and/or diagnostic methods. The present inventors have identified and fine mapped a locus for bipolar disorder and related unipolar affective disorders on chromosome 12 for the first time and have been able to pin point several genes that are carrying mutations increasing susceptibility to bipolar disorder. The region identified is approximately two million base pairs of DNA in the chromosomal region 12q24.3 on the short arm of chromosome 12 between markers D12S2705 and D12S340.