Bipolar, or manic-depressive disorder, is a mood disorder that causes radical emotional changes and mood swings, from manic highs to depressive lows. The majority of bipolar individuals experience alternating episodes of mania and depression.
The emotional brain in youth – How to diagnose and treat bipolar symptoms and mood disorders in children and adolescents – Recognition of bipolar symptoms and bipolar disorder in adolescents is now clearly established. However, whether bipolarity exists in children remains controversial despite numerous studies that have been conducted on this topic in the last fifteen years.
Lithium profoundly prevents brain damage associated with Parkinson’s disease — Buck Institute research in mice moves into preclinical stage; working toward human trials – Researcher are focusing on lithium as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease — PD — as well as its efficacy in combination with drugs currently used to control the symptoms of the disease. Lithium profoundly prevents the aggregation of toxic proteins and cell loss associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in a mouse model of the condition.
Use of certain anticonvulsant medications may be associated with increased risk of suicide – An analysis of prescription and clinical claims data suggests that the use of certain anticonvulsant medications may be associated with an increased risk of suicide, attempted suicide or violent death, according to a study in the April 14 issue of JAMA.
UNSW and the Black Dog Institute will take part in the largest international study of its type to pinpoint the risk factors associated with bipolar disorder. – Around 500 Australians aged 12 to 30 will be recruited to take part in a new study to know causes of bipolar disorder and related risk factors, to be conducted in collaboration with four major research institutions in the United States – Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and the Universities of Michigan, Indiana and Washington.
Schizophrenia linked for first time to chromosome region in study led by Stanford scientists — Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share genetic roots. – Researchers has discovered that nearly a third of the genetic basis of schizophrenia may be attributed to the cumulative actions of thousands of common genetic variants.
FDA grants approval for use of RISPERDAL CONSTA as both a monotherapy and adjunctive therapy in the maintenance treatment of Bipolar I Disorder – Janssen, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Supplemental New Drug Applications (sNDAs) for the use of RISPERDAL? CONSTA? (risperidone) Long-Acting Treatment as both monotherapy and adjunctive therapy to lithium or valproate in the maintenance treatment of Bipolar I Disorder.
Exposure to epilepsy medicine valproate during pregnancy can impair a child’s cognitive development and IQ. – Three-year-olds whose mothers took the antiepileptic drug valproate during pregnancy had average IQs six to nine points lower than children exposed to three other antiepileptic drugs, a landmark multi-center study has found.
AstraZeneca Receives FDA Complete Response Letter on Seroquel XR for Major Depressive Disorder – AstraZeneca announced the company has received a Complete Response Letter (CRL) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking for additional information for the supplemental New Drug Application for SEROQUEL XR (quetiapine fumarate) Extended Release Tablets for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adult patients.
Researchers have developed a list of 14 widely prescribed medications most urgently in need of additional study to determine how effective and safe they are for their off-label uses. – Physicians and policy-makers know that drugs are frequently prescribed to treat certain diseases despite a lack of FDA approval – a practice known as off-label prescribing. Yet they say the problem is so big they don’t know how to begin tackling it.
Omega-3s are not useful treatments for people with bipolar disorder. – Despite intriguing findings that omega-3 fatty acid supplements could alleviate depression symptoms, there is still not enough evidence to say whether omega-3s are useful treatments for people with bipolar disorder, according to a review of recent studies.
