Digital News Report – Bipolar is caused by genetics, but what exactly causes the disorder to be passed down? Researchers at the University of San Diego School of Medicine found that bipolar can be caused by having a rare copy number variants, or CNV within the DNA sequence. The presence of CNVs increases the risk for early onset bipolar disorder.
De novo copy number variants (CNVs) can be genetic, and passed down from parent to child, causing an increased risk for early onset of bipolar disorder suggested the study report that was first published in the December 22, 2011 issue of the journal Neuron.
Copy Number Variation is when a DNA copies, but instead of copying in the normal process, it produces abnormally. It could double or delete a chromosome, so instead of 1234, it would be 11234 or 234, not 1234.
Bipolar is a disorder where emotions can change very speedily. Sometimes,individuals accidentally be diagnosed with Schizophrenia, a mental disorder where one hears voices in their heads. While being bipolar, people will go though times where they are depressed in phases, and then when happy, are called “manic”. If the happiness is much less than “manic”, the phase is called “hypomanic”.
Even with this study, scientists still do not understand exactly what is the absolute genetic cause for bipolar disorder. Scientist says that biopolar disease can run in families, but a larger collection of DNA sequencing of complete genomes or exomes from many bipolar families would be needed to pinpoint the exact genetic link to the disorder. However, this study is starting to show promising results to an absolute cause for the disorder.
By: Jason Chang
Health Reporter