Bipolar Disorder And Gene Abnormalities: Sodium, Calcium Imbalances Linked To Manic Depressive Episodes
Sunday, August 17, 2008 - 22:14
in Biology & Nature
A large genetic study of bipolar disorder has implicated machinery that balances levels of sodium and calcium in neurons. The disorder was associated with variation in two genes that make components of such ion channels. Although it's not yet known if or how the suspect genetic variation might affect the balance machinery, the results point to the possibility that bipolar disorder might stem, at least in part, from malfunction of ion channels.