Bipolar Breakthrough
- Written by News Feature Team
Bipolar Disorder is a very misunderstood mental illness in which people who are not sufferers do not understand. Unfortunately it hits celebrities in the worst of ways as they are often photographed and filmed during their “manic” episodes (such as Britney Spears when she shaved all her hair off). Even Demi Lovato was known to perform on stage whilst suffering with Bipolar Disorder and pumped up with narcotics. Unfortunately it also affects people in ways in which thoughts spin out of control and suicidal tendencies occur. The lovely Robin Williams succumbed to such thoughts back in 2014 when he committed suicide. Apparently 60 million people in the world suffer from the disease affecting 2.6 percent of adults in the U.S. Our health is the most important commodity we have and Authority Reports is there first and foremost for you for the best in health advice. Also know that Omega-3 fatty acids help soothe the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder.
New Research
There is new research from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in Ulsan, South Korea, which has tested the role of phospholipase Cγ1 (PLCγ1) in mice. It seems that the findings may help to explain the causative link between the protein and Bipolar Disorder.
You see, the exact causes of Bipolar Disorder lie in the dark although there are suggestions that it lies in heredity plus other factors may bring it on such as drug and alcohol abuse as well as not getting enough sleep (yes, this may even cause it!). Former research has shown that the gene that encodes the cellular protein phospholipase Cγ1 has been linked to Bipolar Disorder, although the exact mechanism that causes the disorder was unknown until now.
This new study was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
Genetically Designed Mice
What the researchers did was to create genetically designed mice to purposefully have a deficiency of PLCγ1 in their forebrain. Afterwards, studies were made with regards to the mice’s synapses - the ends of the neurons which help with electric signalling between two brain cells.
Over time, the scientists saw that there was impairment in the inhibitory transmission and the synapses’ ability to change their strength, shape and function over time.
There is a protein which regulates certain synaptic functions, including the activity of PLCγ1. This protein is called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). BDNF is exceptionally important in the formation of synapse. In this particular study, deficiencies led to an imbalance between transmissions, both excitatory and inhibitory, between the brain cells’ synapses.
The result was that PLCγ1-deprived mice displayed symptoms of Bipolar Disorder such as excessive feelings of pleasure, hyperactivity, reduced anxiety-like behavior, impaired learning, excessive hunger, including abnormally high startle responses.
When Bipolar Disorder drug treatment was given to these mice, their symptoms reduced.
Conclusion
It looks like there is a neurochemical chain reaction that leads to Bipolar Disorder. When the synapses do not have enough PLCγ1, they are unable to carry out their functions properly as inhibitors in excitatory neurons because the brain-derived neurotrophic factor is not functioning in an adequate manner either. This leads to disproportion between both the excitatory synapses and inhibitory ones, eventually leading to Bipolar symptoms. This is a huge breakthrough and Professor Pann-Ghill Suh, who led the research, reveals this conclusion came after ten years of research.
