Genetics of COVID-19 Risks & Resilience in Bipolar Disorder

BIPGEN is a cross-sectional study on the genetics of bipolar disorder. As a subproject of BIPGEN, BIP-COVID is a cross-sectional genetics study about risks \& resilience in the COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease) pandemic in bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy controls at the Medical University of Graz. Study participants with BD and controls from the well-established BIPLONG and BIPGEN studies will undergo a special BIP-COVID visit, which will include a COVID-19 specific online Lime survey about the psychological burden in the COVID-19 crisis, a COVID-19 antibody test (IgM and IgG), inflammation markers and isolation of DNA from fasting blood. Genotyping of DNA will be done with the GSA V.3 array. Genetic analyses (Polygenic Risk Scores of I. Stress or Major Depression and II. COVID-19 infection established with the programs PLINK, PRSice and R) will be used to analyze the genetic mechanisms of COVID-19 pandemic associated psychological symptoms and COVID-19 infection risk. Systems biology methods will be used to depict protective pathways against COVID-19 infection (e.g. Lithium pathways) and against COVID-19 associated psychiatric symptoms.