An association study of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 gene with periodic psychosis.
OBJECTIVE
Recent molecular and genetic investigations have suggested that the current nosology for major psychiatric disorders, based on the "two-entities-principal" is not accurate with respect to clinical observations; patient groups that do not fit to the current operative diagnostic boundaries are readily identified. We aimed to perform an investigation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) gene (located on 12q13), which has an important role in the apoptotic cascade, with patients suffering from periodic psychosis.


METHODS
Genetic association study has been employed for the current work. Investigated six tag-SNPs were chosen from Hapmap database.


RESULTS
Among six tag-SNPs, one marker (rs10783813), located in the STAT6 gene, showed modest association (p<0.05), although no marker or haplotype block showed association after Bonferroni's correction.


CONCLUSIONS
Future studies will reveal the etiological role of STAT6, and of other genes of the apoptotic cascade, in major psychiatric disorders.
Kawashige
Seiya
S
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
Kanazawa
Tetsufumi
T
Tsutsumi
Atsushi
A
Kikuyama
Hiroki
H
Uenishi
Hiroyuki
H
Koh
Jun
J
Yoneda
Hiroshi
H