An association analysis of Per2 with panic disorder in the Japanese population

Panic disorder (PD) is a severe and chronic psychiatric disorder, with genetic components underlying in its etiology. The PERIOD2 (Per2) gene has been reported to be associated with familial advanced sleep phase syndrome. Considering the high frequency of sleep disturbance in PD, Per2 may be a candidate gene for PD. Therefore, we conducted a two-stage case-control association study in the Japanese population. In the first screening sample of 203 patients and 409 controls, we investigated three single-nucleotide polymorphisms in Per2. We found a potential association in the screening sample (rs2304672, genotype P=0.046, uncorrected), whereas we could not replicate the association in the second sample of 460 patients and 460 controls. Our results suggest that Per2 may not have a major role in the pathogenesis of PD in the Japanese population.