Recent advances in the genetic architecture of bipolar disorder and its clinical implications: a narrative review.
Purpose: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a highly heritable psychiatric condition characterized by recurrent alternations between manic and depressive episodes. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the genetic architecture of BD, spanning early heritability and candidate gene studies thr...
| Published in: | Journal of the Korean Medical Association / Taehan Uisa Hyophoe Chi Vol. 69; no. 3; pp. 199 - 217 |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | review tables/charts Journal Article |
| Published: |
Korean Medical Association
Mar2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=192668848&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 192668848 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 19758456 B9M7 jtl: Journal of the Korean Medical Association / Taehan Uisa Hyophoe Chi issn: 19758456 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Mar2026 vid: 69 iid: 3 pid: 64891 pub: Korean Medical Association place: , <Blank> artinfo: ui: 192668848 192668848 192668848 10.5124/jkma.25.0143 192668848 ppf: 199 ppct: 18 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Recent advances in the genetic architecture of bipolar disorder and its clinical implications: a narrative review. aug: au: Lim, Shinn-Won Do, Hyun Seok Myung, Woojae affil: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea sug: subj: Bipolar Disorder Therapy Bipolar Disorder Familial and Genetic Genotype Genome Wide Association Study Disease Susceptibility Polymorphism, Genetic Gene Expression Pharmacogenetics Individualized Medicine Neurobiology Genetic Variation Epigenomics Neurotransmitter Agents Circadian Rhythm Bipolar Disorder Immunology Neural Transmission Calcium Channels Metabolism Neurodevelopment Exosomes Physiology DNA Methylation Wnt Proteins Metabolism Anticonvulsants Adverse Effects Bipolar Disorder Drug Therapy Antipsychotic Agents Therapeutic Use Antipsychotic Agents Administration and Dosage Phenotype Sex Chromatin Physiology Inflammation Mediators Comorbidity Multiomics ab: Purpose: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a highly heritable psychiatric condition characterized by recurrent alternations between manic and depressive episodes. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the genetic architecture of BD, spanning early heritability and candidate gene studies through genome-wide and sequencing-based discoveries, and discusses the potential clinical implications of these findings. Current concepts: Family and twin studies have established the substantial heritability of BD, whereas early candidate gene approaches focusing on neurotransmitter and circadian pathways demonstrated limited reproducibility. In contrast, large-scale genome-wide association studies have identified numerous common risk variants implicating synaptic signaling, calcium channel function, and neurodevelopmental processes. Complementary exome and whole-genome sequencing studies have further uncovered rare variants and structural alterations contributing to disease risk. Epigenome-wide association studies additionally reveal how genetic variants interact with DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility to regulate transcription. Emerging multi-ancestry research, including studies involving Korean cohorts, has expanded understanding of both shared and population-specific loci. Functionally, BD risk genes converge on biological networks involved in neurotransmission, ion channel regulation, neurodevelopment, circadian rhythm regulation, and immune-inflammatory pathways. Discussion and conclusion: Despite these genomic advances, translation into routine clinical practice remains limited. Integrating genetic findings with multi-omics data and detailed clinical phenotypes may improve diagnostic precision, enhance prediction of treatment response (e.g., lithium efficacy and adverse drug reactions), and support the development of personalized psychiatry. Future research should prioritize cross-ancestry analyses, functional validation, and causal inference frameworks to bridge the gap between genetic discovery and clinical application. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: review tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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