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This article has been tagged since June 2006. - This article is an expansion of a section entitled Bipolar disorders research from within the main article: Bipolar disorder
For other uses, see Bipolar. ...
For other uses, see Bipolar. ...
Bipolar disorders research
Heritability or inheritance of the illness Bipolar disorder runs in families.[citation needed] More than two-thirds of people with bipolar disorder have at least one close relative with the disorder or with unipolar major depression, indicating that the disease has a genetic component. Studies seeking to identify the genetic basis of bipolar disorder indicate that susceptibility stems from multiple genes. Scientists are continuing their search for these genes using advanced genetic analytic methods and large samples of families affected by the illness. The researchers are hopeful that identification of susceptibility genes for bipolar disorder, and the brain proteins they code for, will make it possible to develop better treatments and preventive interventions targeted at the underlying illness processsss.
Recent genetic research Bipolar disorder is considered to be a result of complex interactions between genes and environment. The monozygotic concordance rate for the disorder is 70%. This means that if a person has the disorder, an identical twin has a 70% likelihood of having the disorder as well. Dizygotic twins have a 23% concordance rate. These concordance rates are not universally replicated in the literature, recent studies have shown rates of around 40% for monozygotic and <10% for dizygotic twins (see Kieseppa, 2004 [1] and Cardno, 1999 [2]).
In 2003, a group of American and Canadian researchers published a paper that used gene linkage techniques to identify a mutation in the GRK3 gene as a possible cause of up to 10% of cases of bipolar disorder. This gene is associated with a kinase enzyme called G protein receptor kinase 3, which appears to be involved in dopamine metabolism, and may provide a possible target for new drugs for bipolar disorder.[3] Genetic linkage occurs when particular alleles are inherited together. ...
In 2003, a group of American and Canadian researchers published a paper that used gene linkage techniques to identify a mutation in the GRK3 gene as a possible cause of up to 10% of cases of bipolar disorder. ...
Dopamine is a chemical naturally produced in the body. ...
Current and ongoing research The following studies are ongoing and are recruiting volunteers.
The Maudsley Bipolar Twin Study, based at the Institute of Psychiatry in London is conducting research about the genetic basis of bipolar disorder using twin methdology. Currently recruiting volunteers: identical and non-identical twins pairs where either one or both twins has a diagnosis of bipolar I or II. Front doors of the Institute of Psychiatry // Introduction The Institute of Psychiatry (IOP) is a research institution dedicated to discovering what causes mental health problems and diseases of the brain. ...
Medical imaging Researchers are using advanced brain imaging techniques to examine brain function and structure in people with bipolar disorder, particularly using the functional MRI and positron emission tomography. An important area of neuroimaging research focuses on identifying and characterizing networks of interconnected nerve cells in the brain, interactions among which form the basis for normal and abnormal behaviors. Researchers hypothesize that abnormalities in the structure and/or function of certain brain circuits could underlie bipolar and other mood disorders and studies have found anatomical differences in areas such as the prefrontal cortex[4] and hippocampus. Better understanding of the neural circuits involved in regulating mood states, and genetic factors such as the cadherin gene FAT linked to bipolar disorder,[5] may influence the development of new and better treatments and may ultimately aid in early diagnosis and even a cure. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the use of MRI to measure the hemodynamic response related to neural activity in the brain or spinal cord of humans or other animals. ...
Image of a typical positron emission tomography (PET) facility Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine medical imaging technique which produces a three dimensional image or map of functional processes in the body. ...
15:18, 18 December 2006 (UTC)15:18, 18 December 2006 (UTC)~~PT The prefrontal cortex is the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain, lying in front of the motor and premotor areas. ...
The hippocampus is structurally located inside the medial temporal lobe of the brain. ...
Cadherins are a class of proteins which are expressed on the surface of cells. ...
Personality types or traits An evolving literature exists concerning the nature of personality and temperament in bipolar disorder patients, compared to major depressive disorder (unipolar) patients and non-sufferers. Such differences may be diagnostically relevant. Using MBTI continuum scores, bipolar patients were significantly more extroverted, intuitive and perceiving, and less introverted, sensing, and judging than were unipolar patients[citation needed]. This suggests that there might be a correlation between the Jungian extraverted intuiting process and bipolar disorder. There are limitations to this study in that many bipolar individuals, particularly poets, writers, scientists and artists tend to be introverted. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test designed to assist a person in identifying some significant personal preferences. ...
Jungian psychology refers to a school of psychology originating in the ideas of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and advanced by many other thinkers who followed in his tradition. ...
Research into new treatments In late 2003, researchers at McLean Hospital found tentative evidence of improvements in mood during echo-planar magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (EP-MRSI), and attempts are being made to develop this into a form which can be evaluated as a possible treatment.[6],[7] Magnetic Resonance Image showing a median sagittal cross section through a human head. ...
NIMH has initiated a large-scale study at twenty sites across the U.S. to determine the most effective treatment strategies for people with bipolar disorder. This study, the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD), will follow patients and document their treatment outcome for 5 to 8 years. For more information, visit the Clinical Trials page of the NIMH Web site[1].
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is another fairly new technique being studied. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is the use of powerful rapidly changing magnetic fields to induce electric fields in the brain by electromagnetic induction without the need for surgery or external electrodes. ...
Pharmaceutical research is extensive and ongoing, as seen at clinicaltrials.gov.
Gene therapy and nanotechnology are two more areas of future development. Gene therapy is the insertion of genes into an individuals cells and tissues to treat a disease, and hereditary diseases in particular. ...
Buckminsterfullerene C60, also known as the buckyball, is the simplest of the carbon structures known as fullerenes. ...
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