New Research Session Three: Highlights from the Poster Presentation

During the third New Research session, held from 3:00-5:00PM on Monday, May 24, 73 posters were presented. Here, those that were among the best are highlighted.

SERT and BDNF Polymorphisms in Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder II

Poster Number: NR3-17

Researchers: Hernán Silva, MD, Patricia Iturra, MSc, Sonia Jerez,MD, Juana Villarroel, MD, Cristian Montes, Giovanna Otalora,M. Leonor Bustamante, MD, PhD

Purpose: To “estimate and compare the allelic frequencies for twocandidate genes for psychiatric disorders, in a sample ofpatients with [bipolar disorder (BPD)], another of patients with [bipolar disorder II (BPII)], and acontrol sample.”

Results: Silva and colleagues feel that the BDNF gene may play a role in producing BPII, with similarities seen between BPD and BPII posing a question “regarding common genetic vulnerability factors.”

Genetics of MicroRNAs in Schizophrenia

Poster Number: NR3-20

Researchers: Yong Xu, MD, Fei Li, MSc, Bo Zhang, MSc,Fuquan Zhang, MD, Xuezhu Huang, MD, Kerang Zhang,MD, Pozi Liu, MD

Purpose:Xu explains the background behind this study as follows: “MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNAs thatregulate the stability and translation of mRNA targets.Compelling evidence has shown that miRNAs could beinvolved in the initiation and progression ofneuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. Prior tothis study, six miRNAs had been reported to show asignificantly abnormal expression level in schizophrenicbrains. Also, common single nucleotide polymorphismswithin two miRNA transcripts have shown geneticassociations with schizophrenia. However, it remains largelyunknown whether variants in these miRNA genes and/or intheir target sites are associated with schizophrenia. Here, weselected the above eight miRNAs, plus 15 of their experimentally validated target sites, as candidatesusceptibility factors for schizophrenia, for mutationscreening, and further association studies in Chinese casecontrolsamples.”

Results: The team found a potentially functional variant—ss178077483—in the precursor of mir-30e that was strongly associated with schizophrenia, and they showed that when combined with mir-30e rs7556088 and mir-24-MAPK14 rs3804452, it displays a weak gene-gene interaction for schizophrenia risk. The team concludes that their data “imply that miRNAs and/or their target sites may play an important role in schizophrenia susceptibility.” They feel that additional “functional characterization of miRNA variants and their influence on target mRNAs may provide underlying mechanisms for the observed associations and disease etiology.”

Effectiveness of Switching from Aripiprazole to Ziprasidone in Patients with Schizophrenia

Poster Number: NR3-44

Researchers: Jin-Sang Yoon, MD, Sung-Wan Kim, MD, PhD, Il-Seon Shin, MD, PhD, Jae-Min Kim, MD, PhD, Kyung-Yeol Bae, MD, Su-Jin Yang, MD, PhD

Purpose: To “evaluate the effectivenessof switching to ziprasidone in patients who had insufficientresponse or intolerance to aripiprazole for treatment ofschizophrenia.”

Results: Although sedation and hyperprolactinemia were seen in patients with schizophrenia when switching from aripirazole to ziprasidone, significant improvements were seen in depression, negative symptoms, and metabolic disturbances.

Drug Use Among Social Network Members of Patients with Co-occuring Substance Use Dependence and Bipolar Disorder

Poster Number: NR3-45

Researcher: Margaret L. Griffin, PhD

Purpose: To assess “the effect ofdrug use among social network members on recovery fromdrug use disorders in patients with co-occurring bipolardisorder.”

Results: The presence of multiple drug users among social networks of treatment-seeking drug users could predict poor drug use outcomes, and therefore it might be useful to reduce association with these drug users.