"Bipolar Disorder Speeds Up Biological Aging" - Tim Newman
A recent study demonstrates a link between telomere length, which is a mark of biological aging, and bipolar risk. The research helps to explain why bipolar disorder often comes hand-in-hand with other age-related diseases. Aside from psychological disruption, bipolar disorder is linked to a range of other diseases normally associated with advanced age, such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Recently, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and King’s College London set out to probe the relationship further. The team was particularly interested in telomeres, which are features of chromosomes that reflect the age of the organism. These findings may open up new avenues of research into new interventions. Co-senior author, Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said that the results suggest “that proteins which protect again telomere shortening may provide novel treatment targets for people with bipolar disorder and those predisposed of it.”
- Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai