POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE DOPAMINE D-3 RECEPTOR GENE AND BIPOLAR AFFECTIVE-DISORDER

A variety of studies have reported possible genetic associations between bipolar affective disorder and different loci using relative risk (case-control) comparisons, An alternative approach is to construct a contrast group using parental alleles which were not transmitted to an affected individual [Falk and Rubinstein, 1987: Ann Hum Genet 51:227-233], We have used both approaches to test for possible associations between alleles of the dopamine D-3 receptor gene and bipolar affective disorder, For relative risk studies, the probands of multiple incidence bipolar affective disorder families have been compared to alcoholic and psychiatrically normal contrast groups, Non-transmitted allele approaches have used bipolar affective disorder and alcoholic probands in which both parents were available for genotyping, Using the BalI restriction enzyme site polymorphism of Lannfelt et al. [1992: Psychiatr Genet 2:249-256], we have found no differences in the allele or genotype frequencies for bipolar vs, alcoholic or psychiatrically normal controls, In contrast, we have found evidence for an increased frequency of allele 1 and allele 1 containing genotypes in transmitted alleles from bipolar families. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.