Association of BDNF risk variant and dorsolateral cortical thickness with long-term treatment response to valproate in type I bipolar disorder: An exploratory study.

Valproate is among the most prescribed drugs for bipolar disorder; however, 87% of patients do not report full long-term treatment response (LTTR) to this medication. One of valproate's suggested mechanisms of action involves the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), expressed in the brain areas regulating emotions, such as the prefrontal cortex. Nonetheless, data about the role of BDNF in LTTR and its implications in the structure of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is scarce.

Looking for factors affecting functioning in euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder: the importance of cognitive complaints and BDNF's Val66Met polymorphism.

Introduction: Functioning in Bipolar Disorder (BD) is affected in a substantial proportion of patients. The impact of demographic, clinical, cognitive, and genetic factors on functioning has been shown individually; however, as a complex phenomenon, a global approach to identify the most relevant as well as possible interactions is needed.

Methods: 102 patients with type I BD in euthymia were invited for evaluation of demographic, clinical, and cognitive characteristics as well as genotype for Val66Met polymorphism of BDNF gene to determine those associated with poor functioning according to the FAST scale cut-off score.

Ten-year course of treated bipolar I disorder: The role of polarity at onset.

Introduction: Early-stage predictors of illness course are needed in bipolar disorder (BD). Differences among patients with a first depressive versus maniac/hypomanic episode have been stated, although in most studies, memory bias and time from onset to start of specialized treatment might interfere. The aim was to compare the first 10 years of illness course according to polarity at onset.

Prefrontal cortical thickness and clinical characteristics of long-term treatment response to valproate in bipolar disorder.

Valproate compositions are frequently used to treat bipolar disorder (BD); however, 87% of patients do not report full response in the long-term. There is scarce information about the clinical features and brain structural characteristics of long-term treatment response (LTTR) to this medication. In this study, we aim to evaluate the clinical characteristics and prefrontal cortical thickness (CT) of LTTR to valproate in BD.

Risk Variant and Mood Stabilizers Effects in the Prefrontal Cortical Thickness of Mexican Patients with Bipolar Disorder.

Purpose: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a condition associated with structural alterations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC); some genetic variants and mood stabilizer medications like lithium or valproate are associated with these changes. is a gene involved in BD pathology and brain function; carriers of the A allele of rs1006737 are reported to have increased risk for BD and increased cortical thickness (CT) in the PFC compared to non-carriers. Lithium is also associated with increased CT in the PFC of BD subjects compared to the ones on valproate.

[Role of Serotonin Transporter Gene in Eating Disorders].

Background: The serotoninergic system has been implicated in mood and appetite regulation, and the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) is a commonly studied candidate gene for eating disorders. However, most studies have focused on a single polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in SLC6A4.

Objective: We present the studies published on the association between eating disorders (ED) and 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS).

Exploring epistasis in candidate genes for antisocial personality disorder.

Objective: To identify and characterize high-order gene-to-gene interactions in antisocial personality disorder (ASPD).

Methods: Participants for case-control study were selected from the inmate male population in Bellavista prison from Medellin. The study included 310 individuals with ASPD and 200 with no ASPD.

APOE-epsilon3 and APOE-219G haplotypes increase the risk for schizophrenia in sibling pairs.

To investigate the role of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene in schizophrenia, the authors analyzed 60 families with this mental disorder. An association in the presence of linkage test (APL) and haplotypes analysis were undertaken using the APL v1.1 software.