To conclude, our data reinforce the results of studies of mouse models and schizophrenia indicating that ANK3 is not only a risk gene for bipolar disorder, as initially identified in patient GWAS. Rather, ANK3 may be more broadly associated with a range of processes, including memory (Roussos et al., 2012), reactivity to stress, and impulse control. Identification of the genetic variants in ANK3 that drive these associations is likely to yield valuable clues for the etiological basis of a range of psychiatric disorders and behavioral traits. Determining whether the different ANK3 alleles that are implied by allelic heterogeneity observed here and in bipolar disorder genetic studies all share the same causal mechanism, whether it be altered AIS function, neuronal excitability, or other processes involving ankyrin G, may shed light on common neurobiological underpinnings of these disorders.
