This article highlighted a study in which variation in a gene that codes for the protein Piccolo was found to increase the risk of inheriting bipolar disorder. Piccolo aids neurons in releasing neurotransmitters. The researchers compared the postmortem cortical tissue from people who were diagnosed with bipolar disorder to tissue from people who were not and looked for different gene expression patterns.
Bipolar disorder is a devastating psychiatric disorder which really has no "cure." Hopefully, this study will lead to more research on the genetics of bipolar disorder, which could lead to new, more effective treatments.
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