Recently, the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) distributed a press release entitled “Largest Study of Its Kind Implicates Gene Abnormalities in Bipolar Disorder.” According to the press release, this “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.”
As the press release points out, no single gene has been identified as the “bipolar gene.” Researchers generally agree that multiple gene anomalies contribute to making an individual more susceptible to the eventual onset of bipolar disorder. Environmental issues, including psychosocial stressors, diet, sleep-wake schedules, toxins (including tobacco, drugs, and alcohol), head trauma, illness and infection, and other unknown factors also play a role in the onset of bipolar disorder.
For more about bipolar disorder, genetics, and heredity, check out Dr. Fink’s two-part series – “Bipolar Disorder & Heredity: The Genetic Link.”
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