Genetic Markers for Bipolar Disorder in the Taiwanese Popu-lation: Insights from a Genetic Association Study

In recent years, bipolar disorder (BD), a multifaceted mood disorder marked by severe episodic mood fluctuations, has been shown to have an impact on disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). The increasing prevalence of BD highlights the need for better di-agnostic tools , particularly those involving genetic insights. Genetic association studies can play a crucial role in identifying variations linked to BD, shedding light on its ge-netic underpinnings and potential therapeutic targets. Our research utilized data from the Taiwan Precision Medicine Array (TPM Array), aiming to identify significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BD. Notably, we identified the var-iant rs11156606 in the ABCD1 gene, which plays a role in fatty acid metabolism—a process potentially connected to BD pathophysiology. Subsequent linkage disequilib-rium (LD) analysis of rs11156606 revealed a strongly associated variant, rs73640819, located within the ABCD1 3’ untranslated region (3’UTR), suggesting a regulatory role on ABCD1 RNA functionality. Additionally, our findings indicate that the variant rs3829533 is in strong LD with rs3751800 and rs3751801, which significantly affect the coding sequence of the MTHFSD gene. These findings enhance the genetic under-standing of BD in the Taiwanese Han population and highlight the value of genetic research in advancing our knowledge of bipolar disorder.