Marked for Life: Are Genetic Markers Helpful in Understanding Psychological Disorders?
Monday January 11th 2010 at 18:30

A debate organised by the Progress Educational Trust and the Royal Society of Medicine

Supported by the Wellcome Trust

6.30pm-8pm, Monday 11 January 2010
Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London W1G 0AE

Attendance is free but advance booking is required. To book please RSVP to sstarr@progress.org.uk

By the end of 2008, genome-wide association studies of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia in 80,000 subjects and 40billion total genotypes were said to constitute the largest biological experiment ever conducted in psychiatry. Since then, a massive international project has set out to coordinate this growing wealth of genetic data. The first batch of analyses resulting from this work identified several significant common genetic variations associated with schizophrenia, and further findings are expected in 2010. Elsewhere, a 'transcriptional atlas of human brain development' is being created to understand patterns of gene expression relevant to mental health.

What, if anything, does such genetic and epigenetic research mean for those with psychological disorders, their families and their carers? How does the heritability of these conditions relate to genetic, environmental and stochastic (random) factors? Can society's contribution to psychological disorders be usefully captured by categories such as 'gene' and 'environment', or does it need to be considered separately? If you are found to have 'the gene for' a disorder (as the popular expression has it), does this effectively mean you are marked for life?

Speakers include:

 - NICK CRADDOCK
   Professor of Psychiatry and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at Cardiff University, Leader of the Bipolar Disorder Component of the Wellcome Trust     Case Control Consortium and Coordinator of the Psychiatric Genome-Wide Association Study Consortium

 - DR JONATHAN MILL
   Lecturer in Psychiatric Epigenetics at the Institute of Psychiatry

 - FENNO OUTEN
   Head Occupational Therapist for Newham at East London NHS Foundation Trust

   Followed by questions from the floor
 

The event is free to attend, but advance booking is required. If you email Sandy Starr at sstarr@progress.org.uk then he will add you to the attendee list.

Venue: Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London W1G 0AE, UK
Starting At: 18:30
Ending At: 20:00
Cost: Free to attend, but advance booking is required.
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