Malfunctioning Mitochondria

In the March 1, 2004, edition of Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers at McLean Hospital published findings of a study that may indicate a cause for bipolar disorder. Remember those “mighty mitochondria” from your high school biology class? The mitochondria are the components of cells that through the conversion of glucose provide energy to the rest of the cell. However, in individuals with bipolar disorder, something in this energy conversion appears to go awry. This study found that the genes that make the proteins involved in energy transfer were significantly "down-regulated" in the brains of those with bipolar disorder. Dr. Christine Konradi, the lead investigator on this project, writes, “The reduction of these genes indicates that either there are not enough of these 'power plants' in the cells or that these power plants are not efficient. Our study therefore suggests a causal relationship between bipolar disorder and decreased energy transfer. If this is the case, it could completely refocus our approach to the treatment of bipolar disorder." Read the Full Press Release | Read the Abstract