D2 Dopamine Receptor Gene not Linked to Manic-Depression in Three Families

We ascertained four multigenerational pedigrees segregating manic-depression in which transmission of illness was compatible with autosomal dominant inheritance. As alterations in dopaminergic neurotransmission have been implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease and as there is a report of a family in which manic-depression may be associated with chromosomal break at 11q23-34, we undertook a linkage analysis between manic-depression in four families and the D2 dopamine receptor gene that maps to chromosome 11q22-23. In three of four kindreds, that were informative for analysis, no evidence of linkage was found (lod score - 7.99 at θ = 0.00).