Bipolar Disorder

Using NASA data on solar insolation, Sandra Rosenthal has postulated that seasonal rate of change in daylight has the greatest effect on illnesses with seasonal patterns, not average levels of sunlight. (Est. reading time: 3 mins.) Read More

Functional MRI studies have revealed that targeting activation of certain brain regions may improve working memory and cognition in psychotic disorders. Read More

Symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, including psychosis, depression and manic behavior, have both shared and distinguishing genetic factors, an international consortium led by researchers from Vanderbilt University and Virginia Commonwealth University is reporting. Read More

Depression and mania—the companion moods of bipolar disorder—are “ancient illnesses” and common among the general population, and successfully treating them is perhaps the best way to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness, said noted clinical psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison Tuesday evening in Sarratt Cinema. Read More

Noted clinical psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison, whose best-selling memoir chronicled her early experience with bipolar disorder, will speak at Vanderbilt Jan. 31. Read More

Senior Katie Martinez has been an influential voice on campus, sharing her experiences with bipolar disorder in an effort to reduce stigma and promote a culture of compassion at Vanderbilt. In this insightful piece, Martinez gives us an update on her life over the past three years. Read More

Mimi Baird had not seen or heard from her father since the Harvard-trained physician, tormented by severe bipolar disease, walked away from his family when she was 5 years old. Then, when she was in her mid-50s, a mysterious box arrived at her door. Read More

The transgenic mouse, into which was inserted a rare human genetic variation in the dopamine transporter, could lead to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of these all-too-common brain disorders. Read More

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share common genetic underpinnings. Vanderbilt researchers combined high-resolution gene expression studies with gene association data to reveal signaling pathways linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Read More

Vanderbilt University investigators for the first time have linked a non-inherited, de novo mutation in the dopamine transporter to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Read More

Brain deficits are not present in the early stages of schizophrenia, suggesting it may be possible to delay or prevent the development of brain abnormalities. Read More

Bipolar depression and schizophrenia share patterns of changes in neurons that regulate information flow, new research shows. Read More

RSV prefers stressed cells “Stress granules” – globs of proteins and RNAs – form inside cells in response to environmental stressors and are thought to regulate protein production. Several viruses induce stress granule formation, but the function of these structures during virus replication is not well understood. James Crowe Jr.,… Read More