Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric conditions, have a moderate genetic component, and have lent themselves to excellent animal models. Modest progress has been made in understanding the genetic influence at the genomic level. We are proposing a conference grant to provide an opportunity for anxiety disorder genetics investigators to survey the current status of the field and to develop collaborative efforts for genetic studies. The disorders of interest include panic disorder, specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Obsessive compulsive disorder is not included here as there is an existing conference mechanism focused solely on that disorder. The lifetime incidence of DSM-IV anxiety disorders is estimated to be 28.8%, with an average age of onset of eleven years of age. Lifetime prevalence for the disorders mentioned above range from 4.7% to 12.5%, with all being more common in females. Research has shown that anxiety disorders consistently exhibit aggregation in families, and that the source of this aggregation is likely due to genetic factors, with twin studies suggesting a strong contribution from genes. Genetic studies, both linkage analyses in pedigrees and candidate gene studies in case-control samples now provide some evidence that specific chromosomal regions or genes might contribute to the susceptibility to anxiety disorders. Experience with other complex disorders now demonstrate that the samples of individual investigators may be insufficient for discovering anxiety-related genetic variation, and it is clear collaborative studies that combine many samples will have higher chance of success. Similarly, large samples will need to be coordinated for the field to validate reported findings in the extant samples. The R13 mechanism will be used to address the issues of assembling collaborative datasets and sharing data among diverse investigators. The proposed meeting will also serve to summarize current knowledge, and provide plenary talks from leading human geneticists outside of anxiety disorder genetics. At least 25 researchers from nine countries on five continents have expressed interest in participating, with most also volunteering to give presentations, facilitate workshops, and serve on the Steering Committee. A substantial portion of the meeting will be focused on workshops designed to identify potential collaborative projects, and to address the challenges and opportunities they provide.
Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric conditions. There is much evidence that they are partly genetic in origin, but only modest progress has been made individual investigators in unraveling the genetics of anxiety disorders. Recent work on other complex genetically-influence diseases like type 2 diabetes and Crohn's disease suggest that large collaborative work will be required to find genetic variants that influence anxiety disorders. We are proposing support for a scientific conference providing investigators in the field, NIH officials, and public advocates an opportunity to develop strategies for collaborative efforts on genetic studies. The initiatives undertaken at this meeting, which will expand the network of research in the anxiety disorder genetics field, will provide the foundation for progress in understanding these impairing and common disorders.
