A genetic variant associated with multiple psychiatric disorders may increase an individual's risk of developing bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, finds a study published in JNeurosci.
Stéphane Jamain and colleagues used genetic analysis and neuroimaging in samples of adults with schizophrenia, early-onset bipolar disorder and healthy controls in addition to postmortem analysis of brain tissue from schizophrenia patients to demonstrate that a variant of a gene involved in neurotransmission is associated with both disorders.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder is a brain disorder in which people show "mood swings". Changes in the level of neurotransmitters in brain, and psychosocial factors are thought to be involved.
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‘The expression of the SNAP25 protein drives changes in a brain network that may increase an individual's risk of developing bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.’
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They found that this genetic variation changes the expression of the SNAP25 protein in the brain, which may impact information processing between brain regions involved in regulating emotions. Consistent with this idea, the variant was associated with larger amygdala volume and altered prefrontal-limbic connectivity.
The authors replicated these findings in independent samples, minimizing the potential for false positives and increasing confidence in their results.
The research confirms a shared genetic component of these disorders and points to a potentially new condition that may arise in patients with varying diagnoses in which this gene is implicated, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Source: Eurekalert
The research confirms a shared genetic component of these disorders and points to a potentially new condition that may arise in patients with varying diagnoses in which this gene is implicated, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Source: Eurekalert
Cognitive Impairment in Patients With Bipolar Disorder
Cognitive impairments do occur in patients with bipolar disorder and should be addressed.
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 Schizoaffective DisorderSchizoaffective disorder is a serious mental disorder in which the individual reflects symptoms that occur both in schizophrenia and mood disorder. | Advertisement
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Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) - A Psychological Disorder
Do you worry too much about defects in your body? Then you must definitely check if the symptoms resemble those of body dysmorphic disorder.
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