Pharmacopsychiatry 2007; 40 - A122
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-991797

A genome-wide association study in patients with panic and anxiety disorders

A Erhardt 1, PG Unschuld 1, S Ripke 1, S Lucae 1, M Kohli 1, S Kloiber 1, B Puetz 1, A Heck 1, A Ellgas 1, H Pfister 1, M Ising 1, T Bettecken 1, B Müller-Myhsok 1, ME Keck 2, F Holsboer 1
  • 1Max-Planck-Institute for Psychiatry
  • 2Centre of Neuroscience, Klinikum Schlössli, Oetwill am See

Anxiety disorders are a common clinical condition with a lifetime prevalence up to 20%. Family and twin studies indicate an estimated heritability for anxiety disorders up to 30–40%. The genetic basis of anxiety disorders is supposed to be complex with a potential involvement of multiple genes and genetic interactions. We performed a genome-wide association study in 260 patients with anxiety disorders, mostly having a panic disorder with and without agoraphobia (80%), and 260 healthy controls matched for age and gender. We genotyped over 300.000 single nucleotide polymorphisms using Illumina BeadArray technology. In contrast to candidate gene studies, genome-wide association investigations present an unbiased approach and are helpful to reveal novel pathological pathways in complex diseases. The data are currently under analysis and first results will be presented.