Bipolar Disorder News and Research

Latest Bipolar Disorder News and Research

Study aims to explore structural alterations in the brains of people with bipolar disorder

A new study, led by USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI), will explore structural alterations in the brains of people with bipolar disorder (BD), a chronic mental illness with one of the highest rates of attempted suicide - and for which no biological tools currently exist to guide diagnosis or treatment.

29 Jan 2025

Study offers new insight into how nature and nurture shape aggression in males

Like humans, mice will compete over territory and mates, and show increased confidence in their fighting skills the more they win.

24 Jan 2025

New genomic insights could transform bipolar disorder treatment

Study published in Nature identifies nearly 300 genomic regions associated with bipolar disorder, and 36 key genes involved in the disease.

23 Jan 2025

Mental health risks higher for pregnant people with MS

Pregnant people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a higher chance of experiencing mental illness both during their pregnancy and in the first years after they give birth than those without MS, according to a study published in the January 22, 2025 online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

22 Jan 2025

Monoamine neurotransmitters emerge as architects of brain physiology

A collaborative effort between Mount Sinai and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has shed valuable light on how monoamine neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and now histamine help regulate brain physiology and behavior through chemical bonding of these monoamines to histone proteins, the core DNA-packaging proteins of our cells.

9 Jan 2025

Lithium shows promise as a potential therapy for autism spectrum disorder

A groundbreaking discovery has highlighted lithium - a drug long used to treat bipolar disorder and depression - as a potential therapy for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

23 Dec 2024

Study finds facial shape differences linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

A study published in Psychiatry Research identifies subtle differences in facial shapes that may be linked to the diagnosis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

19 Dec 2024

Depression genes amplify women's heart disease risk

Study reveals a sex-specific link between genetic risks for psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), with women showing a higher risk of atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and heart failure linked to genetic predisposition to major depression. Menopause and modifiable factors like BMI and smoking amplify these risks.

8 Dec 2024

Study links combined risk factors for aggressive behavior in men with CTE

People who have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) who have a family history of mental illness may have a higher risk of aggression in middle age, according to a study published in the November 27, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

27 Nov 2024

New funding expands study of brain changes in bipolar disorder

Leila Nabulsi, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in computational neuroscience at the Keck School of Medicine of USC's Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) has received funding to expand research on the neurocircuitry that underlies bipolar disorder.

25 Nov 2024

Predicting mood episodes with sleep data: A breakthrough for mental health care

Researchers developed a machine-learning model that uses only sleep-wake patterns to predict mood episodes in patients with mood disorders, achieving high accuracy. This approach simplifies real-world mental health monitoring using data from wearables or smartphones.

21 Nov 2024

Exploring the intergenerational impact of adversity on mind-body health

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) is hosting a free webinar, "Intergenerational Effects of Adversity on Mind-Body Health: Pathways Through the Gut-Brain Axis" on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 2:00 pm ET. The presenter, Bridget Laura Callaghan, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). At UCLA, Dr. Callaghan directs the Brain & Body Lab in the Department of Psychology and also heads the Mental Disorders and Pain research theme at the Goodman Luskin Microbiome Center.

8 Nov 2024

New technology for visualizing AMPA receptors offers insights into psychiatric disorders

Even though psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are quite common, their diagnosis and treatment are challenging.

5 Nov 2024

Study links schizophrenia to increased risk of sudden cardiac death

The lifetime risk of an unexpected and sudden death from a cardiovascular cause in the absence of pre-existing heart disease - known as sudden cardiac death - is more than 4 times higher for people with schizophrenia than it is for the general population, indicates Danish research published online in the journal Heart.

22 Oct 2024

Home-based brain stimulation shows promise in treating depression

A device that delivers direct stimulation to the brain was found to be a safe and effective means of treating depression at home, according to a new study by researchers at UTHealth Houston; the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London; and the University of East London.

21 Oct 2024

Study identifies genetic associations with youth psychopathology

When trying to understand how genetic influences factor into youth behavior, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have taken the "big trawl" approach, casting their net wide to pull in all the measured traits, behaviors and environments that make up who we are and examine associations with the genetic building blocks comprising risk for mental health problems.

17 Oct 2024

$Severe mental illness linked to higher risk of fragility fractures in older adults$

Severe mental illness linked to higher risk of fragility fractures in older adults

People over the age of 50 who have severe mental illness are more likely than the general population to experience fragility fractures but may be less likely to get a diagnosis for osteoporosis, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

15 Oct 2024

Epigenomic dynamics shape human brain development and neuropsychiatric disorder risks

Researchers investigate chromatin conformational and epigenomic reorganization during the development of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.

14 Oct 2024

COVID-19 vaccine uptake higher in people with mental illness but drops for those not on medication

Researchers examined the link between mental illness and COVID-19 vaccine uptake, finding high vaccination rates but lower uptake among unmedicated individuals with mental health conditions.

1 Oct 2024

Researchers uncover genetic link between bipolar disorder type I and epilepsy

A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has uncovered compelling evidence of a genetic link between bipolar disorder type I (BD-I) and epilepsy, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of these complex neuropsychiatric conditions.

30 Sep 2024