Bipolar Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bipolar, including details on bipolar disorder, symptoms, treatment, depression, medication.

Serum neurotrophin-3 is increased during manic and depressive episodes in bipolar disorder.

Walz JC, Andreazza AC, Frey BN, Cacilhas AA, Ceresér KM, Cunha AB, Weyne F, Stertz L, Santin A, Gonçalves CA, Kapczinski F

Bipolar Disorders Program, Centro de Pesquisas, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, and Department of Biochyemistry, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

Accumulating evidence suggest that neural changes and cognitive impairment may accompany the course of bipolar disorder. Such detrimental effects of cumulative mood episodes may be related to changes in neurotrophins that take place during mood episodes but not during euthymic phases. The present study investigated serum neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) levels in patients with bipolar disorder during manic, depressed, and euthymic states, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (sandwich-ELISA). Serum NT-3 levels were increased in manic (p<0.001) and depressed (p<0.001) BD patients, as compared with euthymic patients and normal controls. These findings suggest that the NT-3 signaling system may play a role in the pathophysiology of BD.

Published 12 March 2007 in Neurosci Lett, 415(1): 87-9.
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