Identifying Determinants Of Both The Origins And The Progression Of The Depressive And Bipolar (mood) Disorders.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,235,352.00
Summary
Currently, mood disorders are classified by severity, largely ignoring causes and leading to limited treatments. The Team will clarify how differing depressive and bipolar (mood) disorders are best modelled and pursue their differing causes, so assisting identification of specific treatments relating to their underlying causes. Our studies employ a range of sophisticated technologies, including molecular biology, brain imaging techniques, and mathematical modeling. The capacity of such research ....Currently, mood disorders are classified by severity, largely ignoring causes and leading to limited treatments. The Team will clarify how differing depressive and bipolar (mood) disorders are best modelled and pursue their differing causes, so assisting identification of specific treatments relating to their underlying causes. Our studies employ a range of sophisticated technologies, including molecular biology, brain imaging techniques, and mathematical modeling. The capacity of such research to advance the management of mood disorders address a pressing clinical need.Read moreRead less
It is widely accepted that just under half of all people with bipolar disorder have a chronic physical illness. The one neglected comorbidity is osteoporosis. In this project, the association between bipolar disorder and bone fragility will be examined. Additionally, a potential common mechanism, systemic inflammation, which may underlie both diseases, will be investigated as a potential mediator of the relationship.
Understanding The Role Of Muscarinic Receptors In The Pathophysiology Of Depression And Bipolar Disorder
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$480,074.00
Summary
The causes of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, which effect many Australians, remain unknown. We have recently shown decreases in muscarinic receptors in the brain of people with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Muscarinic receptors are important in maintaining the functions of the brain that seem to be affected in people with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Here we seek to understand how changes in muscarinic receptors occur in both disorders.
The Efficacy Of Adjunctive Garcinia Mangostana Linn. Pericarp For Bipolar Depression: A 24-week Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,227,272.00
Summary
Bipolar disorder, especially during episodes of depression, can be highly debilitating. There is scientific evidence now directing research towards new targets to produce new therapies for bipolar depression. The current study aims to utilise an entirely new agent made from the husk of the mangosteen fruit (mangosteen pericarp). Mangosteen pericarp has properties that we believe will assist in reducing symptoms for those with bipolar depression, when taken in addition to usual treatment.
Unravelling The Genetic Causes Of Bipolar Disorder: Lessons From Rare But Highly Penetrant Variants In Very Heritable Forms Of Illness
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$705,834.00
Summary
Bipolar disorder is a severe mood disorder affecting over 350,000 Australians, for which the causes remain largely unknown. This project will apply a powerful new technology, exome sequencing, to rare families with highly heritable forms of bipolar disorder to identify specific genetic factors which increase disease risk. A greater understanding of the genetic causes of this illness may eventually lead to improvements in diagnosis, treatment and quality of life of people suffering with this debi ....Bipolar disorder is a severe mood disorder affecting over 350,000 Australians, for which the causes remain largely unknown. This project will apply a powerful new technology, exome sequencing, to rare families with highly heritable forms of bipolar disorder to identify specific genetic factors which increase disease risk. A greater understanding of the genetic causes of this illness may eventually lead to improvements in diagnosis, treatment and quality of life of people suffering with this debilitating mental illness.Read moreRead less
Gene Expression Signature Technology To Repurpose Drugs For Bipolar Disorder
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$482,800.00
Summary
In this project we will generate a Gene Expression Signature that best characterises the overall biological effects of a cocktail of drugs currently used to treat bipolar disorder. The Signature will be identified in cells and intact brains, and then validated using human gene expression profiling. The validated Signature will then be used to screen libraries and discover new drugs for treating bipolar disorder.
Psychosis contributes significantly to global disease burden, affecting more than 3% of the population when schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorders are considered together. These conditions aggregate within families, and genetic risk factors do not conform to traditional diagnostic categories. My work employs brain-based classification techniques to derive subtypes of psychosis that dissect, and/or span the diagnostic categories, for investigation of modifiable genetic and ....Psychosis contributes significantly to global disease burden, affecting more than 3% of the population when schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorders are considered together. These conditions aggregate within families, and genetic risk factors do not conform to traditional diagnostic categories. My work employs brain-based classification techniques to derive subtypes of psychosis that dissect, and/or span the diagnostic categories, for investigation of modifiable genetic and environmental risk factors for psychosis.Read moreRead less
The Efficacy Of N-acetylcysteine As An Adjunctive Treatment In Bipolar Depression: A Double-blind, Randomised, Placebo-controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$970,090.00
Summary
The brain's antioxidant defences, particularly glutathione, are reduced in bipolar disorder. Treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a naturally occurring and well-tolerated glutathione precursor, has been shown by our research group to be effective at reducing depression in people with bipolar disorder during a 6-month pilot trial. In this definitive placebo controlled randomised study, we aim to see if add-on treatment with NAC can reduce depression in participants in the depressive phase of bi ....The brain's antioxidant defences, particularly glutathione, are reduced in bipolar disorder. Treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a naturally occurring and well-tolerated glutathione precursor, has been shown by our research group to be effective at reducing depression in people with bipolar disorder during a 6-month pilot trial. In this definitive placebo controlled randomised study, we aim to see if add-on treatment with NAC can reduce depression in participants in the depressive phase of bipolar disorder.Read moreRead less
Understanding The Molecular Basis Of Bipolar Affective Disorder
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$812,250.00
Summary
Bipolar disorder (manic depressive illness) is a severe mood disorder, with a lifetime prevalence of up to 1.6%. The illness is characterised by aberrant mood swings resulting in periods of mania and depression with reversion to normal behaviour between episodes. The condition has a severe impact on sufferers, being demonstrated to be the sixth most disabling disorder in the WHO Global Burden of Disease report and increasing the risk of suicide fifteen-fold. There is a pressing need to define mo ....Bipolar disorder (manic depressive illness) is a severe mood disorder, with a lifetime prevalence of up to 1.6%. The illness is characterised by aberrant mood swings resulting in periods of mania and depression with reversion to normal behaviour between episodes. The condition has a severe impact on sufferers, being demonstrated to be the sixth most disabling disorder in the WHO Global Burden of Disease report and increasing the risk of suicide fifteen-fold. There is a pressing need to define more clearly the biological basis of bipolar disorder as a necessary prerequisite to improved diagnosis and treatment. The underlying causes of bipolar disorder remain unknown. However, family studies reveal the high heritability of bipolar disorder and this familial clustering provides an opportunity to use genetic approaches to identify the predisposing genes. The long-term aim of our research is to investigate the biology of those genes that either cause or predispose to bipolar disorder. We have previously reported strong evidence for a novel bipolar disorder susceptibility gene on chromosome 4, a finding which has subsequently been reproduced in several independent studies. Consequently, we hypothesise that there is a gene located on chromosome 4 that predisposes to bipolar disorder. The aim of this proposal is to identify the chromosome 4 bipolar susceptibility gene and understand how the gene causes bipolar disorder. Identifying the genes responsible for bipolar disorder will allow us to define and understand the biological basis of this severe psychiatric condition. This will ultimately lead to major improvements in the ability to diagnose, treat and prevent the illness.Read moreRead less