New Study May End 2 Decades Of Suspicion: Does Borna Disease Virus Cause Mental Illness?Over the past 30 years, numerous studies have linked Borna disease virus (BDV) with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder and dementia. Genetic fragments and antibodies to this RNA virus, which causes behavior disorders in a range of mammals and birds, have been found to be prevalent in psychiatric patients, but study results have been inconsistent...
Lithium For Bipolar Disorder - Pros And Cons UnclearThe most effective long-term treatment for bipolar disorder is lithium. It offers protection against depression and mania and reduces the risk of suicide and short-term mortality. However, according to a study in The Lancet ,safety concerns have made the use of lithium controversial...
Improvements In Unipolar And Bipolar Depression Following Deep Brain StimulationA new study shows that deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a safe and effective intervention for treatment-resistant depression in patients with either unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar ll disorder (BP). The study was published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The study was led by Helen S...
Rare Genetic Mutations Linked To Bipolar DisorderAn international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, reports that abnormal sequences of DNA known as rare copy number variants, or CNVs, appear to play a significant role in the risk for early onset bipolar disorder. The findings were published in the Dec. 22 issue of the journal Neuron...
Link Between Opioid Abuse And Mood And Anxiety DisordersIndividuals suffering from mood and anxiety disorders such as bipolar, panic disorder and major depressive disorder may be more likely to abuse opioids, according to a new study led by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They found that mood and anxiety disorders are highly associated with non-medical prescription opioid use...
Rare Deletions Or Duplications Of DNA Tied To Bipolar DisorderNew research led by University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, finds that rare copy number variants (CNVs) where sections of DNA are either duplicated or missing, seem to play a key role in the risk for early onset bipolar disorder, which appears in childhood or early adulthood...
How Schizophrenia Gene Linked To Psychiatric Disorders Impairs Brain Development Researchers have discovered how the gene variant DISC1, which is linked to schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders, impairs a particular signalling pathway in neurons that is crucial for normal brain development. Li-Huei Tsai, director of MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, and colleagues, write about their findings in the 17 November issue of the journal Neuron...
Potential To Predict Outcome Of Psychotic Episodes Using Brain ScansComputer analysis of brain scans could help predict how severe the future illness course of a patient with psychosis will be, according to research funded by the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. The findings could allow doctors to make more accurate decisions about how best to treat patients...
Diagnosis Of Bipolar Disorder Improved By Specific CriteriaUse of criteria such as family history of mania and early onset of illness resulted in the diagnosis of 31 percent more cases of bipolar disorder in individuals experiencing a major depressive episode, according to results of a large international study reported this year. Charles L. Bowden, M.D...