Compositions and methods for diagnosis and treating mood disorders

Abstract

The present invention provides methods for diagnosing mental disorders such as mood disorders, including bipolar disorder I and II and major depression; The invention also provides methods of identifying modulators of such mental disorders as well as methods of using these modulators to treat patients suffering from such mental disorders.

1 . A method for determining whether a subject is predisposed for major depression disorder, the method comprising the steps of:
 (i) isolating a subject's brain tissue, wherein the brain tissue is dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tissue;   (ii) contacting the subject's isolated brain tissue with a nucleic acid reagent that selectively associates with a polynucleotide with 95% identity to SEQ ID NO. 1;   (iii) detecting the level of reagent that selectively associates with the said polynucleotide; and   (iv) comparing the detected level of selectively associated reagent with a control, whereby if the detected level is significantly less than the control, an increased likelihood that the subject has or is predisposed for major depression disorder is determined; and whereby, if the detected level is not significantly less than the control, an increase in said likelihood is not determined by the method.   
     
     
         2 .- 29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the subject is deceased.