Science News about Bipolar Disorder (All Items)

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NIH Study Shows People with Serious Mental Illnesses Can Lose Weight: Press Release • March 21, 2013

Losing weight is challenging for everyone. It can be particularly difficult for someone with a serious mental illness. An NIMH-funded clinical study proves that a modified diet and exercise program can work for people with serious mental illnesses. Participants lost 7 pounds more than controls—and continued to lose weight.
Five Major Mental Disorders Share Genetic Roots: Science Update • March 01, 2013

Five major mental disorders share some of the same genetic risk factors, the largest genome-wide study of its kind has found.
Rate of Bipolar Symptoms Among Teens Approaches That of Adults: Science Update • June 18, 2012

National survey data finds that the rate of bipolar symptoms in teens is similar to that found in adults, indicating that bipolar disorder often begins in adolescence.
Pattern Recognition Technology May Help Predict Future Mental Illness in Teens: Science Update • April 02, 2012

Computer programs that automatically spot patterns in data may help predict a person’s risk for future mental disorders.
Gene Regulator in Brain’s Executive Hub Tracked Across Lifespan – NIH study: Press Release • February 02, 2012

For the first time, scientists have tracked the activity, across the lifespan, of an environmentally responsive regulatory mechanism that turns genes on and off in the brain’s executive hub. Among key findings of the study by National Institutes of Health scientists: genes implicated in schizophrenia and autism turn out to be members of a select club of genes in which regulatory activity peaks during an environmentally-sensitive critical period in development.
Atypical Antipsychotic More Effective than Older Drugs in Treating Childhood Mania, but Side Effects Can Be Serious: Science Update • January 11, 2012

The antipsychotic medication risperidone is more effective for initial treatment of mania in children diagnosed with bipolar disorder compared to other mood stabilizing medications, but it carries the potential for serious metabolic side effects, according to an NIMH-funded study published online ahead of print January 2, 2012, in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
International Impact of Bipolar Disorder Highlights Need for Recognition and Better Treatment Availability: Science Update • March 07, 2011

The severity and impact of bipolar disorder and bipolar-like symptoms are similar across international boundaries, according to a study partially funded by NIMH.
Most Children with Rapidly Shifting Moods Don’t Have Bipolar Disorder: Science Update • November 30, 2010

Relatively few children with rapidly shifting moods and high energy have bipolar disorder, though such symptoms are commonly associated with the disorder. Instead, most of these children have other types of mental disorders, according to an NIMH-funded study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry on October 5, 2010.
Rapid Antidepressant Works by Boosting Brain’s Connections: Science Update • September 09, 2010

An experimental drug that lifts depression in hours likely works by rapidly stimulating connections between brain cells, a study in rats has revealed. The drug, called ketamine, quickly generated such synapses in a brain circuit implicated in human depression by triggering a key enzyme.
Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder May Go Undiagnosed in Some Adults with Major Depression: Science Update • August 16, 2010

Nearly 40 percent of people with major depression may also have subthreshold hypomania, a form of mania that does not fully meet current diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder, according to a new NIMH-funded study. The study was published online ahead of print August 15, 2010, in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Experimental Medication Lifts Depression Symptoms in Bipolar Disorder Within an Hour: Science Update • August 06, 2010

People with treatment-resistant bipolar disorder experienced relief from symptoms of depression in as little as 40 minutes after an intravenous dose of the anesthetic medication ketamine in a preliminary study; while the patient group was small, this work adds to evidence that compounds in the class to which ketamine belongs have potential as rapid and effective medications for depression, including bipolar depression.
Imaging Studies Help Pinpoint Child Bipolar Circuitry: Science Update • April 08, 2010

A series of imaging studies are revealing that the brain works differently in youth with bipolar disorder (BD) than in chronically irritable children who are often diagnosed with pediatric BD.
Genes and Circuitry, Not Just Clinical Observation, to Guide Classification for Research: Science Update • January 28, 2010

NIMH is launching a long-term project aimed at ultimately improving treatment and prevention by studying classification of mental illness, based on genetics and neuroscience in addition to clinical observation. The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project is not intended to replace psychiatry’s existing diagnostic system for practitioners and will proceed in an independent direction, said Bruce Cuthbert, Ph.D., Director of the NIMH Division of Adult Translational Research, who is directing the effort. By taking a fresh look – without preconceived categories – the project aims to improve the validity of classification for researchers.
Same Genes Suspected in Both Depression and Bipolar Illness: Science Update • January 28, 2010

Researchers, for the first time, have pinpointed a genetic hotspot that confers risk for both bipolar disorder and depression. People with either of these mood disorders were significantly more likely to have risk versions of genes at this site than healthy controls. One of the genes, which codes for part of a cell’s machinery that tells genes when to turn on and off, was also found to be over-expressed in the executive hub of bipolar patients’ brains, making it a prime suspect. The results add to mounting evidence that major mental disorders overlap at the molecular level.
Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Share Genetic Roots: Press Release • July 01, 2009

A trio of genome-wide studies – collectively the largest to date – has pinpointed a vast array of genetic variation that cumulatively may account for at least one third of the genetic risk for schizophrenia. One of the studies traced schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in part, to the same chromosomal neighborhoods.
Symptoms Persist as Bipolar Children Grow Up: Science Update • October 27, 2008
Bipolar disorder (BD) identified in childhood often persisted into adulthood in the first large follow-up study of its kind.
New Study to Evaluate Ways to Control Metabolic Side Effects of Antipsychotics: Science Update • October 01, 2008
A new NIMH-funded grant will examine ways to control the metabolic side effects associated with the use of the newer atypical antipsychotic medications in children with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Family-Focused Therapy Effective in Treating Depressive Episodes of Bipolar Youth: Science Update • September 01, 2008
Adolescents with bipolar disorder who received a nine-month course of family-focused therapy (FFT) recovered more quickly from depressive episodes and stayed free of depression for longer periods than a control group, according to an NIMH-funded study published September 2008 in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Largest Study of Its Kind Implicates Gene Abnormalities in Bipolar Disorder: Press Release • August 18, 2008
The largest genetic analysis of its kind to date for bipolar disorder has implicated machinery involved in the balance of sodium and calcium in brain cells.
Mice Expressing Human Genes Bred to Help Unravel Mental Disorders: Science Update • June 26, 2008
New mouse strains engineered to express human genes related to mental disorders are being developed under a recently-launched grant program from NIMH’s Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science.
Potential New Target Found for Developing Medications to Treat Bipolar Disorder: Science Update • June 20, 2008
Medications that target the protein BAG1, which regulates a process that can trigger symptoms in people who have bipolar disorder, may offer a new way of treating the disease, according to NIMH scientists.
New NIMH Research to Test Innovative Treatments for Children with ADHD: Science Update • June 05, 2008
Two new grants funded by NIMH will focus on novel and innovative approaches to treating children who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Imaging Identifies Brain Regions and Chemicals Underlying Mood Disorders; May Lead to Better Treatments: Science Update • May 06, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC, May 6 — Recently developed imaging techniques allow the mapping of the brain circuits and chemical systems believed responsible for a range of mood abnormalities including depression and bipolar disorder, and hold promise for improved treatments, scientists say.
Bipolar Youths’ Misreading of Faces May be Risk Marker for Illness: Science Update • March 04, 2008
Youngsters with pediatric bipolar disorder and healthy peers who have first-degree relatives with bipolar disorder share the same difficulty labeling facial emotions, NIMH researchers have discovered. Reporting in the February 2008 online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry, the scientists suggest that the facial emotion recognition impairment might be part of an inherited predisposition to the illness.
Tomorrow’s Antidepressants: Skip the Serotonin Boost?: Science Update • February 14, 2008
New research adds to evidence of potentially better molecular targets in the brain to treat depression and other mental disorders, according to NIMH-funded scientists.
Faster-Acting Medications for Bipolar Disorder’s Manic Phase May Be Feasible: Science Update • January 23, 2008
Scientists may be able to develop faster-acting medications for the manic phase of bipolar disorder, new research shows.
Mood Disorders Predict Later Substance Abuse Problems: Science Update • January 09, 2008
People with manic symptoms and bipolar disorder type II are at significant risk of later developing an alcohol abuse or dependence problem, a long-term study conducted in Switzerland confirms. The study was published in the January 2008 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Bipolar Disorder Phenome Database May Aid Search for Related Genes: Science Update • October 02, 2007
Early findings from the recently launched Bipolar Disorder Phenome Database were published in the August 2007 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Manic Phase of Bipolar Disorder Benefits from Breast Cancer Medication: Press Release • September 12, 2007
The medication tamoxifen, best known as a treatment for breast cancer, dramatically reduces symptoms of the manic phase of bipolar disorder more quickly than many standard medications for the mental illness, a new study shows.
Rates of Bipolar Diagnosis in Youth Rapidly Climbing, Treatment Patterns Similar to Adults: Press Release • September 03, 2007
The number of visits to a doctor's office that resulted in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents has increased by 40 times over the last decade, reported researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Studies Refine Understanding of Treatments for Bipolar Disorder: Science Update • September 01, 2007
Two new studies provide additional details on best practices for treating people with bipolar disorder, a sometimes debilitating illness marked by severe mood swings between depression and mania.
Bipolar Youth Show Distinct Pattern of Brain Development: Science Update • August 28, 2007
The first picturess of the brain changing before-and-after the onset of pediatric bipolar disorder reveal a distinct pattern of development, when compared to that seen in healthy youth or in childhood onset schizophrenia.
Parents' Diagnoses Help to Distinguish Childhood Bipolar Disorder from Severe Mood Dysregulation: Science Update • August 06, 2007
The parents of children who have bipolar disorder are more likely to have bipolar disorder themselves than the parents of children who have severe mood dysregulation (SMD).
NIMH Funds Research for Early Intervention in Childhood Bipolar Disorder: Science Update • June 04, 2007
NIMH recently approved funding to test the effectiveness of an early intervention in children at high risk for developing bipolar disorder.
Genetic Roots of Bipolar Disorder Revealed by First Genome-Wide Study of Illness: Press Release • May 08, 2007
The likelihood of developing bipolar disorder depends in part on the combined, small effects of variations in many different genes in the brain, none of which is powerful enough to cause the disease by itself, a new study shows.
Bipolar Spectrum Disorder May Be Underrecognized and Improperly Treated: Press Release • May 07, 2007
A new study supports earlier estimates of the prevalence of bipolar disorder in the U.S. population, and suggests the illness may be more accurately characterized as a spectrum disorder.
Gene Knockout Unleashes Manic Mouse: Science Update • April 05, 2007
Mice engineered to lack a specific gene showed behaviors similar to human mania in a study funded in part by NIMH; they were hyperactive, slept less, appeared less depressed and anxious, and craved sugar, cocaine and pleasure stimulation.
Intensive Psychotherapy More Effective Than Brief Therapy for Treating Bipolar Depression: Press Release • April 02, 2007
Patients taking medications to treat bipolar disorder are more likely to get well faster and stay well if they receive intensive psychotherapy, according to results from the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD), funded by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Study Sheds Light on Medication Treatment Options for Bipolar Disorder: Press Release • March 28, 2007
For depressed people with bipolar disorder who are taking a mood stabilizer, adding an antidepressant medication is no more effective than a placebo (sugar pill), according to results published online on March 28, 2007 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Extreme Irritability: Is It Childhood Bipolar Disorder?: Press Release • February 01, 2007
Results of a new study may help improve the diagnosis and treatment of two debilitating childhood mental disorders — pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) and a syndrome called severe mood dysregulation (SMD).
Different Families, Different Characteristics — Different Kinds of Bipolar Disorder?: Science Update • January 03, 2007
People with bipolar disorder (BPD) tend to share similarities in certain characteristics with other members of their families, NIMH-funded researchers have shown.
Landmark Council Session Spotlights “Real World” Trials: Science Update • December 21, 2006
Principal investigators of NIMH's four large-scale clinical trials presented study results and their implications at the National Advisory Mental Health Council meeting on September 15, 2006.
New Research Helps to Improve Understanding of Bipolar Disorder in Youth: Science Update • October 24, 2006
Bipolar disorder may be hard to identify in children and adolescents for several reasons, including a lack of age-appropriate diagnostic guidelines and symptoms different than those commonly seen in adults with the disorder.
NIMH Researchers Discover Medication’s Antidepressant Potential: Science Update • October 02, 2006
A commonly used sedative and motion-sickness treatment shows promise as a fast-acting antidepressant, according to a study conducted by researchers at NIMH.
Bipolar Disorder Exacts Twice Depression’s Toll in Workplace, Productivity Lags Even After Mood Lifts: Press Release • September 01, 2006
Bipolar disorder costs twice as much in lost productivity as major depressive disorder, an NIMH funded study has found.
Obesity Linked with Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Science Update • July 03, 2006
Results of an NIMH-funded study show that nearly one out of four cases of obesity is associated with a mood or anxiety disorder, but the causal relationship and complex interplay between the two is still unclear.
Intermittent Explosive Disorder Affects up to 16 Million Americans: Press Release • June 05, 2006
A little-known mental disorder marked by episodes of unwarranted anger is more common than previously thought, a study funded by NIMH has found.
Fear Circuit Flares as Bipolar Youth Misread Faces: Press Release • May 29, 2006
Youth with bipolar disorder misread facial expressions as hostile and show heightened neural reactions when they focus on emotional aspects of neutral faces, NIMH researchers have discovered.
Lithium Blocks Enzyme To Help Cells’ Clocks Keep On Tickin’: Science Update • February 17, 2006
NIMH-funded researchers have discovered how lithium likely fixes body clocks gone awry, stabilizing sleep-wake cycles and other daily rhythms disturbed along with mood in bipolar disorder.
Largest Study to Date on Pediatric Bipolar Disorder Describes Disease Characteristics And Short-Term Outcomes: Science Update • February 08, 2006
Recent findings from the multi-site, NIMH-funded Course and Outcome of Bipolar Illness in Youth (COBY) study are helping to shape the understanding of three major subtypes of bipolar disorder that affect children and adolescents and how this diagnosis may affect them as adults.
Early Findings from Largest NIMH-Funded Research Program on Bipolar Disorder Begin to Build Evidence-Base on Best Treatment Options: Science Update • February 01, 2006
Findings from an NIMH research program on bipolar disorder provide much needed long-term data on the chronic, recurrent course of the disorder, and begin the work of building an evidence-base on the best treatments for those with the disorder.
Mutant Gene Linked to Treatment-Resistant Depression: Science Update • December 13, 2004
A mutant gene that starves the brain of serotonin, a mood-regulating chemical messenger, has been discovered and found to be 10 times more prevalent in depressed patients than in control subjects, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
Stress Impairs Thinking Via Mania-Linked Enzyme: Press Release • October 29, 2004
An errant enzyme linked to bipolar disorder, in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, impairs cognition under stress, an animal study shows.
Mental Illness Genetics Among Science’s Top “Breakthroughs“ for 2003: Press Release • December 22, 2003
Research on the genetics of mental illness, most of it NIMH-funded and much of it in the Institute’s own laboratories, was named the #2 scientific "breakthrough of the year" by Science magazine in its December l9, 2003, issue.
NIMH Awards $22.6 Million for Center for Collaborative Research on Mental Disorders: Press Release • July 01, 2003
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has funded a five-year, $22.6 million Center for Collaborative Genetic Studies on Mental Disorders at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Lithium Shows Promise Against Alzheimer’s in Mouse Model: Press Release • May 21, 2003
An enzyme crucial to formation of Alzheimer’s plaques and tangles may hold promise as a target for future medications, suggest studies in mice and cells.
NIMH Awards Howard University $6.5 Million: Press Release • January 25, 2002
Howard University Hospital Department of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine (HUCM) has been awarded $6.5 million from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for a five-year project to implement and develop research studies pertaining to mood and anxiety disorders.