Dopamine D2 receptor gene not associated with symptomatology of mood disorders

Dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) variants have been implicated in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. Many studies have, however, failed to replicate the original association of DRD2 with schizophrenia and mood disorders. A possible reason for this may lie in the definition of phenotype, which is traditionally based on psychiatric diagnosis. In this study we investigated the possibility that variants of the DRD2 gene might be associated with symptomatology in a sample of mood disorder subjects. Forty-seven inpatients affected by bipolar disorder (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV) were assessed at admission by the Operational Criteria for Psychotic Illness and were typed for DRD2 variants using polymerase chain reaction techniques. DRD2 was not associated with excitement, depression, delusion, and disorganization symptoms. Gender did not influence results significantly. Among early onset subjects DRD2*1 was associated with disorganized symptoms. In our sample DRD2 variants did not markedly influence psychopathology among mood disorder subjects. We observed a trend toward higher disorganization among DRD2*1 subjects.