"Study Discovers Brain Adapts To Biological Risk Of Bipolar Disorder" - Janice Wood
Researchers have identified a brain mechanism in siblings of bipolar disorder that makes them resilient to the disorder. According to researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the results suggest that the brain is able to adapt to the biological risk for bipolar disorder. “Most of the risk factors for bipolar disorder, including genetic risk, early childhood adversity, and trauma, are not modifiable,” said study’s senior author Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Based on these results, the researchers are conducting a series of follow-up experiments to test whether it is possible to rewire at-risk patients’ brains by simple computerized tasks that enhance brain connectivity. Initial results suggest that simple interventions may restore the functional architecture of the brain and reduce the severity of symptoms in patients.
- Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai