Researchers identify genes linked to bipolar disorder

Researchers have identified several genes that can put children of bipolar disorder patients at increased risk of developing the disease.

New York: Researchers have discovered several genes in children that is linked to stress and bipolar disorder.

The study's first author Gabriel Fries from McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Centre at Houston, US said, "We've known that children of patients with bipolar disorder have a higher risk of developing the illness but the biological mechanisms are largely unknown."

Fries said, "By analysing the blood of children of controls and comparing it to children of bipolar patients, we identified several genes or markers that can explain the increased risk."

In the study, the researchers analysed peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a total of 18 children and adolescents in three matched groups -- bipolar patients, unaffected offspring of bipolar parents and children of parents with no history of psychiatric disorders.

The analysis revealed that compared to children in the control group, bipolar patients and unaffected offspring of bipolar parents had genetic alterations that can influence the response to stress.

Fries said, "We know from clinical studies of behaviour and the environment that when children are chronically exposed to stressors, they are at a higher risk of developing bipolar disorder."

Fries explained, "Bipolar parents may struggle because of their disease, leading to higher environmental stress. Their children, because of the genetic markers they have, could be more vulnerable to stress."

The genetic alterations that researchers discovered were validated in blood samples of unrelated adult bipolar patients, Fries said.

The findings was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

(With IANS inputs)