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Program for Genetics and Psychoses. Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar, MD, PhD. Mission Statement. Identify genetic variants conferring susceptibility to severe psychiatric disorders to understand their pathogenesis to enable rational therapeutics, genetic counseling and prevention Provide training
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Program for Genetics and Psychoses Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar, MD, PhD
Mission Statement Identify genetic variants conferring susceptibility to severe psychiatric disorders • to understand their pathogenesis • to enable rational therapeutics, genetic counseling and prevention Provide training Focus on the patient: 5 – 10 year horizon Emphasize novelty + cooperation
Program for Genetics and Psychosis: Organization • Clinical team: Sue Clifton • Laboratory team: Kodavali Chowdari • Data Analysis: Joel Wood • International: Hader Mansour + Smita Deshpande • Administration: Sue Clifton
Key strengths • Skilled, cooperative group members • Productive collaborations • ‘give more than we get’ • Range of disorders: psychoses • Varied environmental settings
Current psychosis research • Genetic studies in Schizophrenia: ‘connect the dots’ • Gene-environment interactions in schizophrenia • Cognitive and Imaging studies • Candidate gene studies (dopaminergic genes) • Whole genome analyses • Gene mapping studies in Bipolar Disorder • Consanguinity and bipolar disorder in Egypt • Childhood onset bipolar disorder, circadian function • Therapeutics • Cognitive enhancement: CET (USA); Yoga (India) • Genetics of violence • Psychiatric genetics training in India & Egypt
Schizophrenia research • Collaborations: 8 US + 4 International groups • Configurations: first break cases, case-parent trios, affected sib-pair, multiplex families, controls (n > 8000; n > 3000 from Pittsburgh, DNA + serum)
Psychiatric genetics training in India and Egypt • Overall goal: self sufficiency • Key components • Intensive didactic training at Pittsburgh • Field training, Manuscripts, Grants