Grant: Project Grant

Bipolar disorder is a severe psychiatric illness that runs in families and onsets in adolescence - a critical time of brain and emotional development. Bipolar disorder is a high-ranking cause of disability and premature death worldwide. Currently there is no way of predicting who will develop bipolar or related mood disorders in those with a positive family history. Bipolar disorder is likely the result of a number of susceptibility genes triggered by exposure to multiple social, psychological, and biological risk factors. This proposal builds on prior funded research and requests funds to study the most promising risk factors that may be amenable to treatment in adolescent and young adult high-risk offspring of parents confirmed to have bipolar disorder over a 5-year period. At the end of this study, we will be able to develop a predictive model - a first of its kind - that will estimate the likelihood and timing of illness in individuals with variable sets of risk factors. We will also collect saliva and blood samples for future studies of changes in gene activity associated with risk exposure and illness onset. This information will improve identification of individuals at familial risk who are most likely to develop mood disorders and advance the development of specific innovative preventative and early intervention approaches. Ultimately, this work will result in a major leap forward in understanding genetically-mediated causal pathways leading to bipolar disorder and help to change the trajectory of this illness through informing strategies to prevent onset and progression.