In this episode, we discuss a difficult article that uses large sets of data to (try to) identify gene polymorphisms associated with bipolar disorder. The study authors, members of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, utilize a technique knowns as genome-wide association study (GWAS). Understanding the technique requires having a sense of what a gene is, which turns out to be more complicated than we were taught back in high school. If you've forgotten what a SNP is or what "linkage disequilibrium" means, don't worry--we talk about those, too. We end with leaning into the uncertainty.
The paper we discuss is Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies 30 Loci Associated with Bipolar Disorder. Nature Genetics 2019; 51:793-803.
Here's an incredibly helpful review on understanding genome wide association studies (GWAS): TA Pearson and TA Manolio. How to Interpret a Genome-Wide Association Study. JAMA 2008; 299(11):1335-1344.
Find out more about the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium.