TAAR 6 and HSP-70 variations associated with bipolar disorder

We report on the impact of a set of variations located in the HSP-70 (heat shock protein 70) and TAAR6 (trace amine associated receptors 6 gene) in a sample of bipolar patients. Holding a diagnosis of BPD was the first outcome measure. Response to pharmacotreatment in bipolar patients was the secondary outcome measure. One hundred seventy-one bipolar patients and 288 controls were enrolled for the study. Patients were administered HAM-D, YMRS and CGI at baseline and discharge by independent psychiatrists blind to genotypes. As a result, homozygosis at rs2075799 (HSP-70) was found to be more represented in controls than in cases (p = 0.000009). The investigated variations did not show impact on treatment outcome. This study provides preliminary evidence that HSP-70 may play a role in the disrupted mechanisms that lead to BPD. Further confirmatory analyses in this direction are mandatory.