Genetic Variants Tied to Sex Differences in Psychiatric Disorders

The largest study of its kind identifies single nucleotide polymorphisms with disparate effects on men’s and women’s susceptibility to conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

amanda heidt
| 5 min read
GWAS, psychotic disorder, mood disorder, Q&A, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, sex differences

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Just as recent research has shown that the sex of cells used in cellular models can bias studies of neurological disease, new research is showing that men and women also have genetic differences that are linked to their likelihood of developing certain psychotic and mood disorders.

The study, published March 22 in Biological Psychiatry, is the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) to date—including contributions from more than 100 researchers—to look at the underlying genetic differences between the sexes for insight into why bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression affect men and women differently and at different rates.

The GWAS identified almost a dozen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that differed between men and women diagnosed with one of the three disorders. In some instances, a SNP was only linked to disease in one sex, while in other cases the same SNP decreased the likelihood of developing a disorder ...

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Meet the Author

  • amanda heidt

    Amanda Heidt

    Amanda was an associate editor at The Scientist, where she oversaw the Scientist to Watch, Foundations, and Short Lit columns. When not editing, she produced original reporting for the magazine and website. Amanda has a master's in marine science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and a master's in science communication from UC Santa Cruz.
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