Browsing by Subject "Bipolar"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Convergent functional genomic studies of omega-3 fatty acids in stress reactivity, bipolar disorder and alcoholism
    (Springer Nature, 2011-04-26) Le-Niculescu, H.; Case, N. J.; Hulvershorn, L.; Patel, S. D.; Bowker, D.; Gupta, J.; Bell, R.; Edenberg, H. J.; Tsuang, M. T.; Kuczenski, R.; Geyer, M. A.; Rodd, Z. A.; Niculescu, A. B.; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    Omega-3 fatty acids have been proposed as an adjuvant treatment option in psychiatric disorders. Given their other health benefits and their relative lack of toxicity, teratogenicity and side effects, they may be particularly useful in children and in females of child-bearing age, especially during pregnancy and postpartum. A comprehensive mechanistic understanding of their effects is needed. Here we report translational studies demonstrating the phenotypic normalization and gene expression effects of dietary omega-3 fatty acids, specifically docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in a stress-reactive knockout mouse model of bipolar disorder and co-morbid alcoholism, using a bioinformatic convergent functional genomics approach integrating animal model and human data to prioritize disease-relevant genes. Additionally, to validate at a behavioral level the novel observed effects on decreasing alcohol consumption, we also tested the effects of DHA in an independent animal model, alcohol-preferring (P) rats, a well-established animal model of alcoholism. Our studies uncover sex differences, brain region-specific effects and blood biomarkers that may underpin the effects of DHA. Of note, DHA modulates some of the same genes targeted by current psychotropic medications, as well as increases myelin-related gene expression. Myelin-related gene expression decrease is a common, if nonspecific, denominator of neuropsychiatric disorders. In conclusion, our work supports the potential utility of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically DHA, for a spectrum of psychiatric disorders such as stress disorders, bipolar disorder, alcoholism and beyond.
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    DSM-5: a collection of psychiatrist views on the changes, controversies, and future directions
    (Springer Nature, 2013-09-12) Nemeroff, Charles B.; Weinberger, Daniel; Rutter, Michael; MacMillan, Harriet L.; Bryant, Richard A.; Wessely, Simon; Stein, Dan J.; Pariante, Carmine M.; Seemüller, Florian; Berk, Michael; Malhi, Gin S.; Preisig, Martin; Brüne, Martin; Lysaker, Paul; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    The recent release of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by the American Psychiatric Association has led to much debate. For this forum article, we asked BMC Medicine Editorial Board members who are experts in the field of psychiatry to discuss their personal views on how the changes in DSM-5 might affect clinical practice in their specific areas of psychiatric medicine. This article discusses the influence the DSM-5 may have on the diagnosis and treatment of autism, trauma-related and stressor-related disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, mood disorders (including major depression and bipolar disorders), and schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
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    Familial aggregation of postpartum mood symptoms in bipolar disorder pedigrees
    (Wiley, 2008-02) Payne, Jennifer L; MacKinnon, Dean F.; Mondimore, Francis M.; McInnis, Melvin G.; Schweizer, Barbara; Zamoiski, Rachel B.; McMahon, Francis J.; Nurnberger, John I., Jr.; Rice, John P.; Scheftner, William; Coryell, William; Berrettini, Wade H.; Kelsoe, John R.; Byerley, William; Gershon, Elliot S.; DePaulo, J. Raymond, Jr.; Potash, James B.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine if postpartum mood symptoms and depressive episodes exhibit familial aggregation in bipolar I pedigrees. METHODS: A total of 1,130 women were interviewed with the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies as part of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Genetics Initiative Bipolar Disorder Collaborative Study and were asked whether they had ever experienced mood symptoms within four weeks postpartum. Women were also asked whether either of two major depressive episodes described in detail occurred postpartum. We examined the odds of postpartum mood symptoms in female siblings, who had previously been pregnant and had a diagnosis of bipolar I, bipolar II, or schizoaffective (bipolar type) disorders (n = 303), given one or more relatives with postpartum mood symptoms. RESULTS: The odds ratio for familial aggregation of postpartum mood symptoms was 2.31 (p = 0.011) in an Any Mood Symptoms analysis (n = 304) and increased to 2.71 (p = 0.005) when manic symptoms were excluded, though this was not significantly different from the Any Mood Symptoms analysis. We also examined familial aggregation of postpartum major depressive episodes; however, the number of subjects was small. CONCLUSIONS: Limitations of the study include the retrospective interview, the fact that the data were collected for other purposes and the inability to control for such factors as medication use. Taken together with previous studies, these data provide support for the hypothesis that there may be a genetic basis for the trait of postpartum mood symptoms generally and postpartum depressive symptoms in particular in women with bipolar disorder. Genetic linkage and association studies incorporating this trait are warranted.