Possible linkage of schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder to chromosome 3q29; a follow-up.

The present linkage study is a follow-up within the chromosome 3q29 region in schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder families, based on our recently published genome scan, resulting in evidence for linkage of both disorders to this region (marker D3S1265: NPL [non parametric lod] score Z(all)=3.74, P=0.003).

Anxiety as a predictor of relapse in detoxified alcohol-dependent patients.

Aims: To evaluate the impact of mood, affect, and personality on predicting relapse in detoxified alcohol-dependent patients to uncontrolled drinking during a 1-year treatment study.

Methods: A total of 521 patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of alcohol dependence, excluding those with major depressive disorder, took part in a European multicentre study (11 centres in the United Kingdom, Irish Republic, Switzerland, and Austria). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Scale, whereas symptoms of anxiety were measured using the 'STAI-X2' of the self-rating scale State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and personality traits were measured by the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire.

Maternal bonding behaviour in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, considering premorbid personality traits.

Objective: Bonding between mother and child is described as a complex two-way process ensuring the needs of the child for nurture and protection. As such, it is dependent on the contribution of mother and child [1-3] whereby characteristics of personality of the child may have consequences on maternal bonding behaviour. In the current study the perception of maternal behaviour, premorbid personality traits and relationships between maternal behaviour and personality traits were investigated in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients and their same-sex, healthy siblings.

Genome scan for susceptibility loci for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Background: Despite the widely accepted view that schizophrenia and bipolar disorder represent independent illnesses and modes of inheritance, some data in the literature suggest that the diseases may share some genetic susceptibility. The objective of our analyses was to search for vulnerability loci for the two disorders.

Methods: A genomewide map of 388 microsatellite DNA markers was genotyped in five schizophrenia and three bipolar disorder Austrian families.