The Psychiatric Genetics focus at the Division of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine aims to better explore the molecular and genetic basis of psychiatric disorders and affective disorders in particular. In the BIPLONG study, our BIPGRAZ sample has made a valuable contribution to the world's largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) on bipolar disorder (n = 41,917 study participants with bipolar disorder and 371,549 controls, 64 significant gene variants across the genome).
As a member of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC), we have ongoing opportunities to request this data set with a proposal and also to work on this PGC bipolar data set as part of dissertations. In the ILSD study, we have also become part of the PGC Eating Disorders workgroup so that we have the opportunity to access the world's largest anorexia genetics data set for projects and dissertations.
In Graz, deep-phenotyped samples are also recruited in the areas bipolar disorder (BIPLONG), major depression (PROVIT, etc.), anorexia (ILSD, Momic Chrono Nutri Psy), sleeping disorders (MOMIC Chrono Nutri Psy), cross disorder analyses (MOMIC Chrono Nutri Psy), delirium (Forest Environment), COVID-19 (BIPLONG, FWF BIPCOVID) and the gut-brain axis (PROVIT, MOMIC Chrono Nutri Psy), thereby supporting neuropsychiatric research. Furthermore, our department has planned projects that analyze the application of genetic testing in personalized medicine/pharmacogenetics.
