Genes Differentially Expressed in Mood Disorders

This invention is from the Pritzker Neuropsychiatric Disorders Research Consortium, a collaborative research enterprise comprised of several leading academic institutions and based on a long-term relationship between the Pritzker family and scientists at the various institutions. Groups at UC Davis, UC Irvine, Stanford University, University of Michigan and Cornell conduct studies on human post-mortem tissue, isolated populations and various animal models to identify altered profiles of gene expression in brain circuits associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.

The invention provides methods for diagnosing mental disorders such as mood disorders, including bipolar disorder I and II and major depression. The invention demonstrates, for the first time, differential expression of the certain nucleic acids in the brains of patients suffering from mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder and major depression disorder, in comparison with normal control subjects. In addition, the present invention identifies biochemical pathways involved in mood disorders, where the proteins encoded by certain nucleic acids are components of the biochemical pathways (e.g., the bFGF signal transduction pathway, the GPCR and cAMP/PI/Rho pathways, the proteasome pathway, the oxidative phosphorylation pathway, Myelination, Cytochrome P450, or the GABA and glutamate pathways.)