A FAT Chance of Becoming Manic-Depressive

A collaboration, led by Sydney scientists at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and University of New South Wales, has discovered the first risk gene specifically for bipolar disorder. This means that people who have a particular form of this gene are twice as likely to develop the disease. The implicated gene, called Fat, is located on chromosome four. Dr. Ian Blair, a member of the research team, notes, “We know that the FAT gene codes for a protein that is involved in connecting brain cells together, what we need to do now is find out exactly how the it contributes to the increased risk of bipolar disorder.” News Release | Original Article