Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

James Lowery Kennedy

Clement C Zai

Daniel J Mueller

Paul Daniel Arnold

Vanessa F Gonçalves

Emanuela Mundo

Livia Martucci

Arun K Tiwari

Margaret A Richter

Jennie G Pouget

Fabio Macciardi

Pierandrea Muglia

Nabilah I Chowdhury

Eva J Brandl

Wai Lun Fung

Vanessa F Goncalves

The invention provides genetic markers of severe suicidal behavior, related compositions, computer systems, and methods.

Genetic markers for suicide risk and related methods

The invention provides methods and compositions for the treatment of a subject having a psychiatric disease or disorder based upon the subject's genotype and/or the number of risk alleles carried by the subject, which risk alleles have been found by the present inventors to predispose a subject to antipsychotic medication induced weight gain (AIWG). The methods of the invention also provide for different treatments, or different treatment regimens, for the subject depending on the subject's risk of AIWG. Related compositions, in the form of kits, systems, and computer-readable media are also provided.

Compositions and methods for the treatment and prevention of antipsychotic medication-induced weight gain

Provided are polymorphic markers defined by SEQ ID Nos:1-5 which are associated with suicide risk. Also provided are methods of use of such markers as well as kits for identifying the presence of markers.

Genetic markers associated with suicide risk and methods of use thereof

Provided is a method of predicting a subject's weight response to antipsychotic drug treatment by obtaining a biological sample comprising genomic DNA from the subject and determining the presence or absence of one or more polymorphisms in the GABRA2 gene of the subject, wherein the presence of said one or more polymorphisms is predictive of the subject's weight change in response to antipsychotic drug treatment. The method also may comprise additional steps including treating the subject. Kits and components thereof are also provided.

Genetic markers for antipsychotic induced weight gain and methods for use thereof

A method for predicting a negative symptom change in a subject during drug therapy is provided. The method comprises isolating genomic DNA from a sample of the subject, and genotyping a T5988C marker of GRIN2B gene. A GRIN2B 5988 T/T genotype is predictive of a negative symptom improvement in the subject in response to drug therapy. The drug therapy may be clozapine therapy. Also provided is a method of identifying a polymorphism in a nucleotide sequence of interest that is predictive of response to drug therapy comprising the steps of assessing negative symptom improvement in a plurality of subjects during the course of drug therapy, isolating a sample comprising DNA from each subject, genotyping one or more nucleotide sequences of interest in the DNA of each subject to identify one or more polymorphisms that exist in the one or more nucleotide sequences of interest, wherein correlation of a significant improvement of negative symptoms with one or more polymorphisms is predictive of response to drug therapy.

Predicting negative symptom change during drug treatment

The present invention discloses markers for tardive dyskinesia. Also disclosed is a method of determining the risk of tardive dyskinesia from antipsychotic medication in a subject, the method comprising the step of genotyping a sample obtained from the subject for the rs905568 polymorphism, wherein a subject comprising a CC, CG or GC genotype is at increased risk for tardive dyskinesia as compared to a subject comprising the GG genotype. Kits for practicing the method are also disclosed.

Marker for tardive dyskinesia

The present invention provides methods for diagnosing or identifying susceptibility of a subject to an anxiety or mood disorder. One method involves testing a sample obtained from the subject for the presence of a polymorphism in Intron 10 of the SLC1A1 gene. The presence of allele G or allele A of the A/G polymorphism rs301434 indicates that the patient is susceptible to an anxiety disorder. An alternate method involves testing a sample obtained from the subject for the presence of a polymorphism in the 3' untranslated region of the SLC1A1 gene. The presence of allele C of C/G polymorphism rs3087879 indicates that the patient is susceptible to an anxiety disorder. Furthermore, a method is provided that involves testing a sample obtained from the subject for the presence of a haplotype in the SLC1A1 gene, wherein the combined presence allele G of the A/G polymorphism rs301434 and allele C of C/G polymorphism rs3087879 indicates that the patient is susceptible to a mood disorder.

SLC1A1 marker for anxiety disorder

Methods and kits for assessing the susceptibility of a patient to antidepressant-induced mania are described. The method involves testing a sample from a patient for the presence of the s variant of the 5HTTLPR polymorphism in the 5HTT gene. The presence of this s variant indicates that the patient is more susceptible to antidepressant-induced mania.

Detection of antidepressant induced mania

Methods and kits for determining susceptibility of a patient to mood disorders are described. The method involves analyzing a sample comprising nucleic acids from a patient for a polymorphism in the promoter region of the BDNF gene.

Involvement of the BDNF gene in mood disorders

Methods and kits for determining susceptibility of a patient to bipolar disorders are described. The method comprises the steps of: (a) obtaining a sample from a patient; and (b) testing the sample for the presence of a polymorphism selected from (i) a 2 repeat allele in the variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) region of the DRD4 gene and (ii) a 4 repeat allele in the VNTR region of the DRD4 gene, wherein the presence of the 2 repeat allele indicates that the patient is less susceptible to a bipolar disorder and the presence of the 4 repeat allele indicates that the patient is more susceptible to a bipolar disorder.

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Toronto, Canada

James Lowery Kennedy