Can These Two Genes Predict Bipolar Disorder?
Millions of Americans suffer from bipolar disorder. It is a disease that anyone is susceptible to. But, certain groups of people are more susceptible to it than others. For instance, if your parents or grandparents have shown bipolar disorder signs, your chances of contracting the disease is significantly higher that are those whose parents and grandparents have not had the illness. And, the same is true if you have one or more siblings with the disease. In point of fact, heredity is the biggest predictor of all of a person developing the illness.
When determining predictors, an additional one is that of the age of the individual. More often than not, this illness falls upon someone in their late teens. Consequently, pre-teens and older adults, as a group, have a much less chance of getting bipolar disorder.
And lastly, if anyone in your family tree has experienced other illnesses of the brain, the chances of you developing the illness goes up as well. For instance, if someone in your family has experienced anxiety disorders, even though this type of disorder is not bipolar disease, it is defined as a mental disorder. As a result, according to statistics your odds of getting bipolar have increased. And, once someone does get it, excepting unusual cures or remissions, the disease lasts for the rest of their lives.
It used to be thought that children were immune to bipolar disorder. However, research has shown that, on rare occasions, it can strike them. And when it does, the illness is referred to early-onset bipolar disorder. The intent is meant to differentiate it from the more prevailing adult variation of bipolar disorder illness. In both, adults and kids, the signs are pretty much identical. It seems that the main distinction is that children feel the effects more sharply than adults do.
The primary distinction of the disease in children is that the frequency of mood switches is greater in them than it is with grownups. Taking these two facts, together, inmost cases means that a child with bipolar disorder will experience the disease at a much higher level of intensity than would an adult.
Bipolar disorder is not a new topic of studies for researchers and scientists. They have been studying the illness for decades attempting to understand the causes and triggers of the disease. But, until the last couple of years, aside from the fact that the illness was genetically based, they could not identify any particular reason why one person might develop bipolar and another person would not develop the disease.
Now a spectacular breakthrough has taken place. Mainly because of the hugely important human genome project, two genes have been discovered and identified as the primary predictors of who among us is most likely to develop the illness. These two genes, ANK3 and CACNA1C, have suddenly become the focust of much study as scientist rush to develop cures and treatments for bipolar disease based on this new discovery.
The question in most researchers mind is, can these genes be turned off? And studies are also under way to determine exactly this fact. Because, it they can be switched off, this means that we will be able to prevent someone from ever getting the illness. However, don't celebrate just yet. Most expects don't expect any such cures to appear in the next year or two. After all, scientist have just begun to crack the code. And when they do, the many thousands of children suffering from this disease will be able to begin life again.
When determining predictors, an additional one is that of the age of the individual. More often than not, this illness falls upon someone in their late teens. Consequently, pre-teens and older adults, as a group, have a much less chance of getting bipolar disorder.
And lastly, if anyone in your family tree has experienced other illnesses of the brain, the chances of you developing the illness goes up as well. For instance, if someone in your family has experienced anxiety disorders, even though this type of disorder is not bipolar disease, it is defined as a mental disorder. As a result, according to statistics your odds of getting bipolar have increased. And, once someone does get it, excepting unusual cures or remissions, the disease lasts for the rest of their lives.
It used to be thought that children were immune to bipolar disorder. However, research has shown that, on rare occasions, it can strike them. And when it does, the illness is referred to early-onset bipolar disorder. The intent is meant to differentiate it from the more prevailing adult variation of bipolar disorder illness. In both, adults and kids, the signs are pretty much identical. It seems that the main distinction is that children feel the effects more sharply than adults do.
The primary distinction of the disease in children is that the frequency of mood switches is greater in them than it is with grownups. Taking these two facts, together, inmost cases means that a child with bipolar disorder will experience the disease at a much higher level of intensity than would an adult.
Bipolar disorder is not a new topic of studies for researchers and scientists. They have been studying the illness for decades attempting to understand the causes and triggers of the disease. But, until the last couple of years, aside from the fact that the illness was genetically based, they could not identify any particular reason why one person might develop bipolar and another person would not develop the disease.
Now a spectacular breakthrough has taken place. Mainly because of the hugely important human genome project, two genes have been discovered and identified as the primary predictors of who among us is most likely to develop the illness. These two genes, ANK3 and CACNA1C, have suddenly become the focust of much study as scientist rush to develop cures and treatments for bipolar disease based on this new discovery.
The question in most researchers mind is, can these genes be turned off? And studies are also under way to determine exactly this fact. Because, it they can be switched off, this means that we will be able to prevent someone from ever getting the illness. However, don't celebrate just yet. Most expects don't expect any such cures to appear in the next year or two. After all, scientist have just begun to crack the code. And when they do, the many thousands of children suffering from this disease will be able to begin life again.
