the+genetics+of+bipolar+disorder

[|bipolar disorder] November 24, 2009

Bipolar Disorder is a disorder that causes depression and other effects. Studies have found that bipolar disorder is one of the most heritable of disorders. Efforts to find specific genes have intensified over the past two decades. Studies have implied that several chromosomal regions connected to genes, but results have been lacking. A new database called “Bipolar Disorder Phenome Database” is allowing scientists to connect visible signs of the disorder with genes that may or may not affect them. Researchers that used this database have found that people with bipolar disorder has missed work because of the illness, been hospitalized, and some people had other diseases at the same time especially alcohol and substance abuse. Brain studies have established what happens in the brain of a person with the disorder. New brain imaging tools have allowed researchers to take pictures of the brain at work. Various imaging studies have shown that people with Bipolar disorder differ from the brains of a healthy person. Learning about these differences and researching them are helping scientists to discover more about this disorder.

kmorgan March 10th, 2010