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Published on October 25, 2023
Investigators from the University of Cambridge, reporting their findings today in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, say they have developed a new blood test to help accurately diagnose bipolar disorder. The researchers used a combination of an online psychiatric assessment and the new blood test that identifies biomarkers of the disease…
Published on March 8, 2022
Using one of the largest-ever samples of post-mortem brains, scientists have identified significant differences in gene expression in two specific regions of the brain—the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sACC) and amygdala—in patients who had bipolar disorder. Their findings suggest that this condition may stem from chemical and structural changes in…
Published on December 27, 2021
Researchers investigating the DNA outside our genes (the “dark genome”) report that they have discovered recently evolved regions that code for proteins associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They say these new proteins can be used as biological indicators to distinguish between the two conditions, and to identify patients more…
Published on May 17, 2021
In the largest genetic study of bipolar disorder to date, researchers have identified 64 regions of the genome containing DNA variations that increase risk of this condition – more than double the number previously identified. Bipolar disorder is known to be one of the most heritable mental illnesses, but unravelling…
Published on April 8, 2021
Current methods for diagnosing and treating depression remain largely trial and error with no objective measures or blood tests available. But a team led by Alexander Niculescu, M.D., Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at Indiana University, is hoping to bring personalized medicine approach to the condition and other mood disorders. They…
Published on May 3, 2019
Scientists at the Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) believe that a newly-identified epigenetic hotspot for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may give scientists a fresh path forward for devising more effective treatments and biomarker-based screening strategies. While effective medications do exist, they often have side effects such as apathy, weight gain,…
Published on May 2, 2019
The largest ever study of gene associations in bipolar disorder has been completed by Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers and has identified 30 genome-wide significant loci, including 20 that are novel. More than 50,000 subjects in 14 countries and more than 200 collaborating institutions participated in this large-scale genome-wide…
Published on June 28, 2016
Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have utilized next-generation sequencing methods to identify 84 potential inherited gene mutations that may contribute to the most severe forms of bipolar disorder (BD). The investigators say their study—“Exome Sequencing of Familial Bipolar Disorder”—which recently published in JAMA Psychiatry, is one of the first to…
Published on May 6, 2016
Complex neurological disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder (BD) are the likely result of the influence of both common and rare susceptibility genes. While common variation has been widely studied over the past several years, rare variant elucidation has only recently become possible through the use next-generation sequencing…
Published on May 23, 2024
Ancient viral infections that occurred hundreds of thousands of years ago, so called “fossil viruses,” now found in thousands of human DNA sequences have been linked with major psychiatric disorders according to an international research collaboration led by investigators at King’s College London (KCL). Roughly eight percent of the human…
Published on March 25, 2021
The largest genomic study on mood and psychotic disorders to date reveals some substantial differences in the genetics of how such disorders develop and are expressed in men and women. A multinational team of scientists has scanned approximately 200,000 genomes to show that although there is substantial genetic overlap between…
Published on February 9, 2021
Differences in gene expression could help explain why major mental disorders that have similar genetic roots produce such different symptoms in those affected, suggest results from the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda. The researchers found that although people with conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive…
Published on December 13, 2019
In the largest study of its kind, researchers at Massachusetts general Hospital have learned that eight psychiatric disorders have common genetic links. Studying GWAS data from healthy controls and individuals with at least one psychiatric disorder, they identified 109 gene variants associated with an increased risk for more than one…
Published on August 21, 2019
The results of a study headed by researchers at the University of Chicago suggest that there may be a significant link between exposure to environmental pollution and the prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders. Analyses of large population data sets from the United States and Denmark linked poor air quality with increased…
Published on December 14, 2018
A team that included scientists from the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine reports the development of a research model that relates variations in DNA and gene activity to the risk of brain disorders. The model, described in a paper (“Comprehensive functional genomic resource and integrative model for…