Ferritin as a potential disease marker in patients with bipolar disorder.

Background: Low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress have been implicated as potential pathophysiological processes in bipolar disorder, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Ferritin is a marker of iron stores and involved in redox processes and inflammation but its role in bipolar disorder is unclear.

Methods: We investigated the possible association of increased plasma ferritin levels and bipolar disorder.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3β activity and cognitive functioning in patients with bipolar I disorder.

Cognitive deficits are common in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) in remission and may be associated with glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) activity, which is inhibited by lithium. GSK-3 may be a relevant treatment target for interventions tailored at cognitive disturbances in BD but the relation between GSK-3 activity, cognition and lithium treatment is unknown. We therefore investigated the possible association between GSK-3 activity and cognition and whether lithium treatment moderates this association in patients with BD.

Leukocytes in peripheral blood in patients with bipolar disorder - Trait and state alterations and association with levels of cytokines and C-reactive protein.

Low-grade inflammation has been found in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), but rarely assessed using leukocyte counts and findings are limited by lack of control for confounding factors. As a result, it is unclear whether BD per se is associated with peripheral inflammation. We pooled populations from two studies using similar longitudinal designs, including 300 blood samples from a total of 97 patients with BD and 133 blood samples from a total of 72 healthy control individuals (HC).

Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β: Variation over Time and the Possible Association with Mood and Cognition in Healthy Individuals.

Evidence indicates a role for glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) in the pathophysiology of mood disorders and in cognitive disturbances; however, the natural variation in GSK-3β activity over time is unknown. We aimed to investigate GSK-3β activity over time and its possible correlation with emotional lability, subjective mood fluctuations and cognitive function in healthy individuals. Thirty-seven healthy subjects were evaluated with neuropsychological tests and blood samples at baseline and 12-week follow-up.

Cytokines, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and C-reactive protein in bipolar I disorder - Results from a prospective study.

Background: Peripheral blood brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and inflammatory markers may reflect key pathophysiological mechanisms in bipolar disorder in relation to disease activity and neuroprogression.

Aims: To investigate whether neutrophins and inflammatory marker vary with mood states and are increased in patients with bipolar disorder type I during euthymia as well as in all affective states as a group, compared to levels in healthy control subjects.

Methods: In a prospective 6-12 months follow-up study, we investigated state specific, intra-individual alterations in levels of BDNF, hsCRP, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-18 and TNF-α in 60 patients with bipolar I disorder with an acute severe manic index episode and in subsequent euthymic and depressive and manic states and compared with repeated measurements in healthy control subjects.

[Electronic monitoring of patients with bipolar affective disorder].

Bipolar disorder is a great challenge to patients, relatives and clinicians, and there is a need for development of new methods to identify prodromal symptoms of affective episodes in order to provide efficient preventive medical and behavioural intervention. Clinical trials prove that electronic monitoring is a feasible, valid and acceptable method. Hence it is recommended, that controlled trials on the effect of electronic monitoring on patients' course of illness, level of function and quality of life are conducted.