Compositions and methods for diagnosing and treating neuropsychiatric disorders

Abstract

The present invention provides methods for diagnosing mental disorders (e.g., psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and mood disorders such as major depression disorder and bipolar disorder). 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 has or is predisposed for a mental disorder, the method comprising the steps of:
 (i) obtaining a biological sample from a subject;   (ii) contacting the sample with a reagent that selectively associates with a polynucleotide or polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid that hybridizes under stringent conditions to a nucleotide sequence of Tables 1-14; and   (iii) detecting the level of reagent that selectively associates with the sample, thereby determining whether the subject has or is predisposed for a mental disorder.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reagent is an antibody. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reagent is a nucleic acid. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reagent associates with a polynucleotide. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the reagent selectively associates with a polynucleotide comprising at least one of the SNPs listed in Table 6. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the regent associates with a polypeptide. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the level of reagent that associates with the sample is different from a level associated with humans without a mental disorder. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the biological sample is obtained from amniotic fluid. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the mental disorder is a psychotic disorder or a mood disorder. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sample is derived from brain tissue or lymphocytes. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the sample is derived from brain tissue. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the sample is derived from a brain region selected from the group consisting of the anterior cingulate cortex (AnCg), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), cerebellar cortex (CB), superior temporal gyrus (STG), parietal cortex (PC), nucleus accumbens (nAcc), and amygdala (amy). 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the level of reagent that associates with the sample is higher than a level associated with humans without a mental disorder. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the psychotic disorder is schizophrenia. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the mood disorder is major depression disorder or bipolar disorder. 
     
     
         16 - 46 . (canceled)