Chromosomes 6 and 8 Associated With Bipolar Disorder

A few months ago, eight chromosomal regions were found to be associated with early onset bipolar affective disorder. A new study in the American Journal of Human Genetics has linked bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, to two chromosomal regions in the human genome.

In a complete genome scan of 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, researchers found that bipolar disorder was strongly associated with chromosomes 6 and 8. The next step will be to identify specific candidate genes and examine their biological functions.

Science Daily, September 16, 2005