Do psychiatric disorder genes overlap with their drug targets? And does this matter?

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Psychiatric disorders are highly heritable, but are the genes we identify in GWAS the same ones our medications target? This new study digs into the overlap and raises questions about how we develop treatments.

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Unravelling bipolar disorder: insights from the biggest genetic study to date

Bipolar disorder is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease with significant impact on quality of life, functioning and suicide risk.

A massive new multi-ancestry genetic study of bipolar disorder has uncovered hundreds of risk loci and highlighted biological pathways that may guide more precise treatments and prevention strategies in the future.

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The genetic relationship between ADHD and depression

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Tim van der Es discusses a recent paper that investigates whether ADHD causally increases the risk of subsequent major depression diagnoses. The study findings underscore the need for effective treatment and assessment of ADHD and a requirement for a deeper understanding of the potential causal mechanisms linking ADHD and depression.

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Shorter sleep and depression: what role do our genes play?

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Nick Donnelly discusses how one’s genetic predisposition to shorter sleep is associated with the onset of depression in older adults.

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Does what you eat affect how you feel?

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Daisy Crick summarises a recent paper on the casual relationship between polyunsaturated fatty acids and depression.

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Cannabis use in college: genetic predispositions less influential than social environment

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Sally Turner reviews a recent study exploring cannabis use in college, which provides useful evidence relating to how universities could promote a sense of community, belonging and support to students who use cannabis.

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New genes implicated in Alzheimer’s disease #LetsTalkMentalHealthII

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Byron Creese writes a #LetsTalkMentalHealthII blog about a recent genome-wide meta-analysis which identifies new loci and functional pathways influencing Alzheimer’s disease risk.

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Higher body mass index is associated with a lower subjective wellbeing

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Benjamin Janaway explores a recent mendelian randomisation study that looks at the causal effects between subjective wellbeing and cardiometabolic health.

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Genetics of depression: understanding risk and improving treatment

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Douglas Levinson on a genome-wide meta-analysis of depression in 807,553 individuals, which identifies 102 independent variants relating to the genetics of depression.

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What can genetics tell us about the link between cannabis and schizophrenia? #MHQT

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Suzi Gage summarises a recent GWAS of lifetime cannabis use, which reveals new risk loci, genetic overlap with psychiatric traits, and a causal influence of schizophrenia. Interesting new evidence ahead of our Mental Health Question Time #MHQT event in London tomorrow.

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