Biological factors in affective disorders and their relevance to lithium prophylaxis.

Dur work has focused on the genetic determinants of prima ry affective disorders and the genetic mechanisms involved in the psychopharmacological treatment of these disorders. We have reported morbidity risk data in manic-depressive (bipolar) and depressive (unipolar) patients and tested various computerized mathematical models of inheritance of affect ive illness. We have demonstrated dose linkage between color blindness and bipolar manic-depressive i1lness and the absence of such linkage in unipolar illness. Dur linkage and family studies demonstrate genetic hetero {JfIneity in bipolar illness, with one form of the illness being transmitted through an X-linked dominant gene. We have recently confirmed the X-Iinked pattern of inher itance of bipolar illness by demonstrating dose linkage be twaen this psychosis and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydro{Jfl nase Deficiency. a genetic marker located on the X-chromo some, in dose linkage to the color blind loei. We have also published the first report of an adoption study in bipolar manic-depressive illness. The results strongly support the importance of genetic factors in the transmission of this disorder.