Navigation Links
New link identified for bipolar disorder
Date:6/17/2010

Lithium has been established for more than 50 years as one of the most effective treatments for manic depression, clinically termed bipolar disorder.

However, scientists have never been entirely sure exactly why it is beneficial.

Now, new research from Cardiff University scientists suggests a possible mechanism for why Lithium works, opening the door for better understanding of the illness and potentially more effective treatments.

Laboratory studies with cells have shown that an enzyme known as prolyl oligopeptidase (PO) controls a set of genes that determine sensitivity to lithium. Among these genes is ImpA2, which like PO activity itself, has been associated with differences in some bipolar patients. These results reveal a new mechanistic link that could explain these changes in these patients.

Professor Adrian Harwood of Cardiff School of Biosciences, who led the research, said: "We still cannot say definitively how lithium can help stabilise bipolar disorder. However, our research has uncovered a new cell signalling process with links to bipolar disorder.

"This introduces a new mechanism and more candidate genes whose study could lead to greater understanding of the causes of bipolar disorder, better diagnostic tests and new types of drugs that are more effective and have fewer side effects than Lithium does at present."

The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, is published in the international journal PLoS ONE.


'/>"/>

Contact: Stephen Rouse
Rouses@cardiff.ac.uk
44-292-087-5596
Cardiff University
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1

Related biology news :

1. Key mechanism identified in metastatic breast cancer
2. Biological link between stress, anxiety and depression identified for the first time
3. New genetic risk factors for aneurysms identified by Yale-led team
4. Autism susceptibility genes identified
5. Structure of insulins docking point identified
6. Newly identified growth factor promotes stem cell growth, regeneration
7. Cell of origin identified for common type of breast cancer
8. Genetic risk factor identified for Parkinsons disease
9. Canine compulsive disorder gene identified
10. Canine compulsive disorder gene identified in dogs
11. Genetic causes identified for disturbances in lipid metabolism
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/17/2013)... for Experimental Biology (FASEB) released a new analysis ... highlighting the devastating impact of sequestration on the nation,s ... a May 15th Senate Appropriations Committee hearing featuring NIH ... $1.6 billion cut the agency sustained in FY 2013 ... the scientific community." , According to data from ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... to Research Careers) Program has announced the travel ... (SDB) 72nd Annual Meeting in Cancun, Mexico from ... promote the entry of students, postdoctorates and scientists ... basic science community and to encourage the participation ... Meeting. , Awards are given to poster/platform presenters ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... at MIT may someday eliminate the need for ... their blood-sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin. ... levels in the body and respond by secreting ... function of pancreatic islet cells, which are destroyed ... type of system could ensure that blood-sugar levels ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Nanotechnology could help fight diabetes 2Nanotechnology could help fight diabetes 3
... (CDF) botanists have published a list of all the ... third largest town in Galapagos. 261 species were recorded, ... 95% of the archipelago falling under the Galapagos National ... having large impacts on the native flora and fauna. ...
... may occur, in part, because of a problem in an ... key chemical messenger in the brain, scientists have found in ... that the gene is turned on at increasingly high rates ... the brain involved in higher functions like thinking and decision-making ...
... "nanorods" of gold can be triggered by a laser beam ... in motion a complex biochemical mechanism that leads to a ... abnormally high number of receptor sites to capture molecules of ... many tumor cells crave. The Purdue researchers attached folate to ...
Cached Biology News:How schizophrenia develops: Major clues discovered 2Gold nanorods shed light on new approach to fighting cancer 2Gold nanorods shed light on new approach to fighting cancer 3
(Date:5/16/2013)... (PRWEB) May 16, 2013 The ... by Global Cooling, Inc., Athens, OH, USA, won the ... by the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories ... award, given to one product annually, recognizes the company’s ... ultra-low temperature freezer. The award was presented to ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... Mechanicsburg, PA (PRWEB) May 16, 2013 ... pid temperature controllers and temperature sensors since ... are widely used in industrial control system applications. ... controllers, the device includes a generic, control loop feedback ... units are expertly used to adjust a systematic process, ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... Hills, Ill. (PRWEB) May 16, 2013 ... benchtop and portable models, from Cole-Parmer is designed ... The enhanced line includes: , The new ... are true workhorses in the lab. They ensure ... serum and plasma specimen separation. Their standard four-place ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... 2013 Kitware , a ... announces new Phase II SBIR funding from the ... of an open-source, high performance computing (HPC) simulation ... enables researchers to select only the toolkits and ... computation, or analysis tasks. , Manufacturers increasingly ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Stirling Ultracold Ultra-Low Freezer Wins 2013 Outstanding New Product Award at International Biorepository Conference, Sydney, Australia 2New PID Temperature Controllers Announced by Oven Industries Inc. 2Cole-Parmer Offers Enhanced Selection of Centrifuges 2Kitware Develops a Customizable Simulation Framework to Provide HPC for Small to Mid-Sized Manufacturers 2
... ... offering of a free webinar, Real Time to Manufacturing Using Real-Time In Situ FTIR Analytics ... ... the offering of a free webinar, Real Time to Manufacturing Using Real-Time In Situ ...
... , , THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Dec. 18 Amgen (Nasdaq: ... Ph. D., Amgen,s executive vice president of Research & ... Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Each year the ... advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially ...
... ... board on the market. The PX1500-4 captures four synchronized channels at sampling rates up ... the ADC data. , ... Beach, California (PRWEB) December 18, 2009 -- Signatec Inc. today announced the PX1500-4 ...
Cached Biology Technology:Real Time to Manufacturing Using Real-Time In Situ FTIR Analytics as a Process Analytical Technology (PAT) Tool 2Amgen's Roger M. Perlmutter, M.D., Ph.D., Named 2009 AAAS Fellow, Recognized for Discovery, Development of Novel Medicines 2Amgen's Roger M. Perlmutter, M.D., Ph.D., Named 2009 AAAS Fellow, Recognized for Discovery, Development of Novel Medicines 3Signatec Releases PX1500-4, Its 4-Channel, 1.5 GHz Per Channel / 2-Channel, 3 GHz Per Channel PCI-Express Digitizer with Two Virtex-5 FPGAs 2Signatec Releases PX1500-4, Its 4-Channel, 1.5 GHz Per Channel / 2-Channel, 3 GHz Per Channel PCI-Express Digitizer with Two Virtex-5 FPGAs 3Signatec Releases PX1500-4, Its 4-Channel, 1.5 GHz Per Channel / 2-Channel, 3 GHz Per Channel PCI-Express Digitizer with Two Virtex-5 FPGAs 4