About 3 million people in the US are diagnosed every year with bipolar disorder, a psychiatric condition characterized by dramatic shifts in mood from depression to mania. Currently, the standard treatment includes a combination of psychotherapy and prescription medications such as mood stabilizers and antipsychotics. However, an emerging field of research is exploring the use...
Tag: <span>bipolar disorder</span>
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Mutation links bipolar disorder to mitochondrial disease
Mutations in the gene ANT1 may confer a risk for bipolar disorder through a complex interplay between serotonin and mitochondrial signaling in the brain. These two pathways have been separately implicated in bipolar disorder, but the link between levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin and mitochondrial dysfunction had not been established. Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Brain...
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Is it major depression or bipolar disorder? Ask the heart
All test subjects in the study underwent a 15-minute-long electrocardiogram People suffering from bipolar disorder swing between emotional highs (manic episodes) and severe depression. Perhaps not surprisingly, they’re often mistakenly diagnosed as simply having major depression, which actually requires a different treatment. According to a new study from Illinois’ Loyola University, however, the two...
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Traumatic brain injuries may be helped with drug used to treat bipolar disorder
A drug used to treat bipolar disorder and other forms of depression may help to preserve brain function and prevent nerve cells from dying in people with a traumatic brain injury, according to a new Rutgers University study. In research published in Scientific Reports, Rutgers scientists discovered that lithium – used as a mood stabilizer and...