explanation Major depressive disorder and schizophrenia cause severe psychosocial impairments. The role of genetic factors is well established from twin studies, suggesting a role for several candidate genes. However, none of these are well established and the functioning of gene transcription has hardly been studied in living humans. Therefore, in the present session a number of studies will be presented that use gene expression in peripheral blood and lymphoblastoid cells as a marker for mood disorders and schizophrenia, using microarray analysis. First evidence will be presented to classify mood disorder patients based on whole blood gene expression profiles. The identification of a mood disordermarker from challenged blood samples has the prospect for development of prognostic tools and markers for treatment efficacy. Moreover, a translational functional genomic approach will be presented. This way, also pathogenetic mechanisms underlying mood disorders could be studied revealing changes in e.g. stress regulating brain systems.
aim At the end of the session, the participants should be able to understand the principles of dna transcription. Why are genes switched on or off? How can the assessment of rna levels contribute to diagnosis and prevention of psychiatric disorders.