July 20, 2007
New Study Links Bipolar Disorder With Brain Tissue Loss
People with bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, suffer from an accelerated shrinking of their brain, researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found.
The study shows for the first time that bipolar disorder, a condition characterized by periods of depression and periods of mania, is associated with a reduction in brain tissue and proves that the changes get progressively worse with each relapse.
This discovery has implications not only for the way we research the disease, but may also impact the way this condition is treated.
The findings, published in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry, show that the loss of grey matter tissue is concentrated in areas of the brain which control memory, face recognition and co-ordination, namely the hippocampus, fusiform and cerebellum respectively.
Dr. Andrew McIntosh, senior lecturer in psychiatry and lead researcher, said: "For the first time, we have shown that as people with bipolar disorder get older, a small amount of tissue is lost in parts of the brain that are associated with memory and the coordination of thoughts and actions. The amount of brain tissue that's lost is greater in people with multiple episodes of illness and is associated with a decline in some areas of mental ability.
"Although we do no yet know the cause of this brain shrinkage, it may be that repeated episodes of illness harm the brain and lead to the decline. Another possibility is that the brain changes are caused by stress or genetic factors, which tend to lead both to more frequent illness episodes and to greater brain loss. Further research will be required."
Bipolar disorder, in its severe form, is a serious mental illness which affects around half a million people in the UK alone. When people have mania they are typically elated, overactive and need less sleep. They may also suffer from delusions or hallucinations, and are at significant risk of suicide. Once someone has an episode of bipolar disorder, the condition tends to be life long.
This work is funded by the Sackler Foundation, Health Foundation and by the UK Medical Research Council. Source: The University of Edinburgh
More Information: Bipolar disorder 'shrinks brain' (BBC)
Posted by szadmin at July 20, 2007 8:19 AM
More Information on
Bipolar Disorder Biology
Comments
I have been diagonosed with bipolar disorder for over a year now and I still dont understand it. I have been on Depakote ER since Aug 2006 and first on Resperdol but now Geodon and I was on some kindf of anidepressant but i still am just a different one Effexor and I still have nights where I cant sleep and sometimes I tend to forget things like taking my medicine and appointments and things. I dont know what to do?
Posted by: w walts at September 29, 2007 12:58 AM
Is this new?
I thought it was already established repeated periods of for exmple depression decrease certain parts of the brain.
Posted by: Maria at October 9, 2007 12:27 PM
I too have been diagonosed about a year ago. And the more I read about them more comfused I get. There is so many different types of medicine and I don't understand what is what. I have to keep asking my Dr. I also have been on Effexor(which it didn't work). Now I am currently on Lamitial and Prozac. I have been doing good-but I an staring to have my moods again. But I didn't know that bipolar shrinks your brain!! No one ever told me that. I learn more and more each day about Bipolar. My heart goes out to anyone that has this or has to deal with someone with bipolar. It is challenging each day.
Posted by: mvaughn at October 15, 2007 10:14 AM
I was diagnosed with this 13 years ago and have had several episodes and have flash backs of them all the time and this has created an anxiety problem on top of the bipolar and it is a challenge everyday and nobody has told me that each episode you have shrinks your brain. What does this mean? one day am i gonna wake up and not know anything
Posted by: teresa at October 20, 2007 10:30 AM
I have had prblems with bi-polar since I was 6 and now at 25 i feel like i have alhztimers or somthing. i cant remember anything that i dont repeat daily and its hard to understand people talking to me sometimes. my husband is getting frusterated with me, he thinks im doing it to annoy him because its gotten so bad. I never knew about the brain shrinkage, is there anything I can do to help recover it?
Posted by: Toni at November 1, 2007 5:58 AM
We have been coping with a family member with bipolar disorder for several years, it is a very difficult disease. Recently we have notice the symptoms that are associated with brain tissue shrinkage, the person we once knew no longer exisits. He can no longer remember who he is at times, who we are at times, he never knows when it is and more often than not where he is. It has been a gradual decline, and it was only recently that we heard of the shrinkage in the brain tissue, but we have also been told that other medical conditions can tribute to this too: diebetes, high blood pressure, high cholestorol, on top of the bipolar, it seems this was someting that someone should have prepared us for, but didn't. The more research we do, the more we find how little we we're actually been told at all.
Posted by: geo at June 17, 2008 12:11 PM
Post a comment
I have been diagonosed with bipolar disorder for over a year now and I still dont understand it. I have been on Depakote ER since Aug 2006 and first on Resperdol but now Geodon and I was on some kindf of anidepressant but i still am just a different one Effexor and I still have nights where I cant sleep and sometimes I tend to forget things like taking my medicine and appointments and things. I dont know what to do?
Posted by: w walts at September 29, 2007 12:58 AM
Is this new?
I thought it was already established repeated periods of for exmple depression decrease certain parts of the brain.
Posted by: Maria at October 9, 2007 12:27 PM
I too have been diagonosed about a year ago. And the more I read about them more comfused I get. There is so many different types of medicine and I don't understand what is what. I have to keep asking my Dr. I also have been on Effexor(which it didn't work). Now I am currently on Lamitial and Prozac. I have been doing good-but I an staring to have my moods again. But I didn't know that bipolar shrinks your brain!! No one ever told me that. I learn more and more each day about Bipolar. My heart goes out to anyone that has this or has to deal with someone with bipolar. It is challenging each day.
Posted by: mvaughn at October 15, 2007 10:14 AM
I was diagnosed with this 13 years ago and have had several episodes and have flash backs of them all the time and this has created an anxiety problem on top of the bipolar and it is a challenge everyday and nobody has told me that each episode you have shrinks your brain. What does this mean? one day am i gonna wake up and not know anything
Posted by: teresa at October 20, 2007 10:30 AM
I have had prblems with bi-polar since I was 6 and now at 25 i feel like i have alhztimers or somthing. i cant remember anything that i dont repeat daily and its hard to understand people talking to me sometimes. my husband is getting frusterated with me, he thinks im doing it to annoy him because its gotten so bad. I never knew about the brain shrinkage, is there anything I can do to help recover it?
Posted by: Toni at November 1, 2007 5:58 AM
We have been coping with a family member with bipolar disorder for several years, it is a very difficult disease. Recently we have notice the symptoms that are associated with brain tissue shrinkage, the person we once knew no longer exisits. He can no longer remember who he is at times, who we are at times, he never knows when it is and more often than not where he is. It has been a gradual decline, and it was only recently that we heard of the shrinkage in the brain tissue, but we have also been told that other medical conditions can tribute to this too: diebetes, high blood pressure, high cholestorol, on top of the bipolar, it seems this was someting that someone should have prepared us for, but didn't. The more research we do, the more we find how little we we're actually been told at all.
Posted by: geo at June 17, 2008 12:11 PM