(SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH NEWS) November 13, 2017 — Genes linked to schizophrenia in psychiatric patients suffering from bipolar disorder are the reason why such patients don’t respond to the “gold standard” treatment for bipolar – the drug lithium – according to international research led by the University of Adelaide.

Lithium has been widely used as a treatment for bipolar disorder since the 1950s because of its mood stabilising effect. It has unique protective properties against both manic and depressive episodes, and an ability to decrease the risk of suicide.

However, about 30% of patients are only partially responsive, more than a quarter show no clinical response at all, and others have significant side-effects to lithium.

Until now, researchers have not understood why these patients have not responded to the common treatment, while others have responded well to the drug.

Published today in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, an international consortium of researchersled by the University of Adelaide‘s Professor Bernhard Baune reports a major discovery that could affect the future quality of treatment for people with this significant mental health condition.

Known as the international Consortium on Lithium Genetics, the group has studied the underlying genetics of more than 2500 patients treated with lithium for bipolar disorder.

“We found that patients clinically diagnosed with bipolar disorder who showed a poor response to lithium treatment all shared something in common: a high number of genes previously identified for schizophrenia,” says Professor Baune, Head of the Discipline of Psychiatry at the University of Adelaide and lead author on the paper.

Source: Gene Breakthrough on Lithium Treatment for Bipolar Disorder – Science and Technology Research News