In the last several years the development of genome-wide association (GWA) study designs and analysis methods have made it possible to search for multiple genetic variations underlying a condition like BD without a priori assumptions about the genes or genomic regions that might harbor susceptibility variations (12). The GWA study approach has revealed a number of genetic variations that are unequivocally associated with traits and diseases (13, 14). The US National Institutes of Mental Health–sponsored Genetics Initiative for Bipolar Disorder Consortium (Bipolar Consortium) has collected over 3,500 subjects with BD during 1990-2008. A genetic component of the Bipolar Consortium, termed the ‘Bipolar Genome Study (BiGS),’ was initiated in 2006 to conduct a GWA study of BD. The initial BiGS GWA study was funded through the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Genetic Information Association Network (GAIN) initiative (http://www.genome.gov/19518664) and we report the results of this GWA study here. Of note, many investigators have access to and have utilized the DNA samples from individuals with BD that were collected as part of the Bipolar Consortium; thus, it is the case
