ABSTRACT

The advent of the human genome project undoubtedly will have a great impact on the medical field in this century. This genetic revolution will also be observed in psychiatric medicine. The genetic factors that contribute to the susceptibility of mood disorders are likely to be extremely heterogeneous, reflecting complex genetic and environmental factors that are implicated in the etiology of mood disorders. Despite intensive study, its molecular etiology remains enigmatic as with many common diseases. However, modern genetic technologies such as linkage and association analysis are beginning to shed light on the polygenic nature of mood disorders. Moreover, gene expression studies such as microarray analysis, and serial analysis of gene expression, will give a new insight into mood disorders. This review will give a broad overview of the influence of genetics on mood disorders, and attempt to bring in recent molecular approaches and their application towards the understanding of the effects of genetic and environmental influences on mood disorders. This will facilitate the effective strategies for investigating the genes of mood disorders.