Bipolar disorder is a debilitating disorder of the brain with a lifetime prevalence of 1.0% for bipolar I, 1.1% for bipolar II disorder and 2.4–4.7% for subthreshold bipolar disorder. Medications, including lithium, have demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of bipolar disorder, but their molecular targets and mode of action are largely unknown. A few studies have begun to shed light on potential targets of lithium treatment that may be involved in lithium's therapeutic effect. We have recently conducted a microarray study of rat frontal cortex following chronic treatment (21 days) with lithium. Chronic treatment with lithium led to a significant (at least 1.5-fold) down-regulation of 151 genes and up-regulation of 57 genes. We discuss our results in the context of previous microarray studies involving lithium and gene-association studies to identify key genes associated with chronic lithium treatment. A number of genes associated with bipolar disorder, including Comt (catechol-O-methyltransferase), Vapa (vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein A), Dtnb (dystrobrevin β) and Pkd1 (polycystic kidney disease 1), were significantly altered in our microarray dataset along with genes associated with synaptic transmission, apoptosis and transport among other functions.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
October 2009
-
Cover Image
Cover Image
- PDF Icon PDF LinkFront Matter
- PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
Conference Article|
September 21 2009
The role of lithium in modulation of brain genes: relevance for aetiology and treatment of bipolar disorder
S. Hossein Fatemi;
S. Hossein Fatemi
1
*Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuroscience Research, University of Minnesota Medical School, 420 Delaware Street SE, MMC 392, Minneapolis, MN 55455, U.S.A.
†Departments of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School, 310 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, U.S.A.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email fatem002@umn.edu).
Search for other works by this author on:
Teri J. Reutiman;
Teri J. Reutiman
*Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuroscience Research, University of Minnesota Medical School, 420 Delaware Street SE, MMC 392, Minneapolis, MN 55455, U.S.A.
Search for other works by this author on:
Timothy D. Folsom
Timothy D. Folsom
*Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuroscience Research, University of Minnesota Medical School, 420 Delaware Street SE, MMC 392, Minneapolis, MN 55455, U.S.A.
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
April 20 2009
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 Biochemical Society
2009
Biochem Soc Trans (2009) 37 (5): 1090–1095.
Article history
Received:
April 20 2009
Citation
S. Hossein Fatemi, Teri J. Reutiman, Timothy D. Folsom; The role of lithium in modulation of brain genes: relevance for aetiology and treatment of bipolar disorder. Biochem Soc Trans 1 October 2009; 37 (5): 1090–1095. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0371090
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Captcha Validation Error. Please try again.