Hello everyone! I wanted to write to you today about the 10th annual Walk a Mile in My Shoes mental health rally that was held at the Lansing State Capital building in Michigan yesterday. This was my third year going and I had a very nice time. Representatives from all 83 counties in Michigan came. There was a photo booth, DJ, inspirational speakers, and poets. It was a great time. It is also a time to take a moment and be grateful for what you have and the abilities you possess that many others do not.
One speaker was former Michigan State University basketball player Anthony Ianni, who's been touring the state talking about his battle with autism. He's the first ever college basketball player to play with autism. His speech was moving and inspirational. He is currently in the middle of his relentless tour where he goes around to schools in Michigan to talk about autism as well as bullying. Here's a link to his page: Meet Anthony Ianni
The poets that performed were amazing! The men are called Kinect Affect, two men with one voice. Very empowering in your face poetry. Here's a link to check them out, I would definitely go out to see them if you have the opportunity: The Kinetic Affect
Everyone there received a free messenger bag with a pin, snacks, and informational flyers. It was great to have our voices heard, even if it was raining.
Here's a link to a news article that covered the rally: WILX NBC10
And here's a link to the flyer for this year: Walk a Mile Flyer
If you're in Michigan next year around this time of year I encourage you to look up the rally and come out to support mental health awareness in Michigan!
Have a great day!!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Inspiration linked to bipolar disorder risk
Hello Everyone! I found another really interesting topic with a couple sources: the study of inspiration and creativity in bipolar individuals. I myself have experienced increased creativity while manic. I normally am not artistic or creative at all, however while manic I wrote an entire coherent 5 verse song in under 5 minutes. Ideas and thoughts flowed freely and ideas just came to me. I miss this. I saw more connections between things, individuals, and ideas. Below I have included text about this interesting study. Enjoy!
Inspiration has been linked with people at risk of developing bipolar disorder for the first time in a study led by Lancaster University.
For generations, artists, musicians, poets and writers have described personal experiences of mania and depression, highlighting the unique association between creativity and bipolar disorder -- experiences which are backed up by recent research. But, until now, the specific links between inspiration -- the generation of ideas that form the basis of creative work -- and bipolar disorder has received little attention.
New research by Professor by Steven Jones and Dr Alyson Dodd, of Lancaster University, and Dr June Gruber at Yale University, has shown people at higher risk for developing bipolar disorder consistently report stronger experiences of inspiration than those at lower risk.
The paper 'Development and Validation of a New Multidimensional Measure of Inspiration: Associations with Risk for Bipolar Disorder', published in PLOS One this week, found a specific link between those people who found their source of inspiration within themselves and risk for bipolar disorder.
Professor Jones, co-director of Lancaster University's Spectrum Centre, said: "It appears that the types of inspiration most related to bipolar vulnerability are those which are self-generated and linked with strong drive for success.
"Understanding more about inspiration is important because it is a key aspect of creativity which is highly associated with mental health problems, in particular bipolar disorder. People with bipolar disorder highly value creativity as a positive aspect of their condition. This is relevant to clinicians, as people with bipolar disorder may be unwilling to engage with treatments and therapies which compromise their creativity."
As part of the study, 835 undergraduate students were recruited to complete online questionnaires from both Yale University in the U.S. and Lancaster University in the U.K.
They were asked to complete a questionnaire which measured their bipolar risk using a widely-used and well-validated 48-item measure which captures episodic shifts in emotion, behaviour, and energy called The Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS).
They also completed a new questionnaire developed by the team which was designed to explore beliefs about inspiration, in particular the sources of inspiration -- whether individuals thought it came from within themselves, from others or the wider environment. This measure was called the the EISI (External and Internal Sources of Inspiration) measure.
The students who scored highly for a risk of bipolar also consistently scored more highly than the others for levels of inspiration and for inspiration which they judged to have come from themselves.
Researchers say, although this pattern was consistent, the effect sizes were relatively modest so, although inspiration and bipolar risk are linked, it is important to explore other variables to get a fuller picture and to conduct further research with individuals with a clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
The research team is currently inviting UK-based individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder to take part in an online survey exploring associations between inspiration, mood and recovery. Go to: www.thinkingstyle.spectrumdevelopment.org.uk.
Source 1 Source 2
Inspiration has been linked with people at risk of developing bipolar disorder for the first time in a study led by Lancaster University.
For generations, artists, musicians, poets and writers have described personal experiences of mania and depression, highlighting the unique association between creativity and bipolar disorder -- experiences which are backed up by recent research. But, until now, the specific links between inspiration -- the generation of ideas that form the basis of creative work -- and bipolar disorder has received little attention.
New research by Professor by Steven Jones and Dr Alyson Dodd, of Lancaster University, and Dr June Gruber at Yale University, has shown people at higher risk for developing bipolar disorder consistently report stronger experiences of inspiration than those at lower risk.
The paper 'Development and Validation of a New Multidimensional Measure of Inspiration: Associations with Risk for Bipolar Disorder', published in PLOS One this week, found a specific link between those people who found their source of inspiration within themselves and risk for bipolar disorder.
Professor Jones, co-director of Lancaster University's Spectrum Centre, said: "It appears that the types of inspiration most related to bipolar vulnerability are those which are self-generated and linked with strong drive for success.
"Understanding more about inspiration is important because it is a key aspect of creativity which is highly associated with mental health problems, in particular bipolar disorder. People with bipolar disorder highly value creativity as a positive aspect of their condition. This is relevant to clinicians, as people with bipolar disorder may be unwilling to engage with treatments and therapies which compromise their creativity."
As part of the study, 835 undergraduate students were recruited to complete online questionnaires from both Yale University in the U.S. and Lancaster University in the U.K.
They were asked to complete a questionnaire which measured their bipolar risk using a widely-used and well-validated 48-item measure which captures episodic shifts in emotion, behaviour, and energy called The Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS).
They also completed a new questionnaire developed by the team which was designed to explore beliefs about inspiration, in particular the sources of inspiration -- whether individuals thought it came from within themselves, from others or the wider environment. This measure was called the the EISI (External and Internal Sources of Inspiration) measure.
The students who scored highly for a risk of bipolar also consistently scored more highly than the others for levels of inspiration and for inspiration which they judged to have come from themselves.
Researchers say, although this pattern was consistent, the effect sizes were relatively modest so, although inspiration and bipolar risk are linked, it is important to explore other variables to get a fuller picture and to conduct further research with individuals with a clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
The research team is currently inviting UK-based individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder to take part in an online survey exploring associations between inspiration, mood and recovery. Go to: www.thinkingstyle.spectrumdevelopment.org.uk.
Source 1 Source 2
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Lancaster University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
The above story is based on materials provided by Lancaster University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
- Steven Jones, Alyson Dodd, June Gruber. Development and Validation of a New Multidimensional Measure of Inspiration: Associations with Risk for Bipolar Disorder. PLoS ONE, 2014; 9 (3): e91669 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091669
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
First stem cell study of bipolar disorder yields promising results
I recently came across this information and wanted to share it with you all. We may have more precise treatments individualized to our bodies' chemistry's needs sooner rather than later. As we all know, it is a bit of a crap shoot to find the right medications that works best to control your bipolar disorder. With this new research we are finding more origins of the disorder as well as more possible treatments. I have pasted the below texts with sources so you can read the info for yourself.
The researchers found that the neurons from bipolar patients expressed more genes for membrane receptors and ion channels than the neurons from non-bipolar patients - particularly genes for receptors and channels involved in sending and receiving calcium signals between cells.
Since calcium signals play a significant role in neuron development and function, the investigators say their findings suggest that genetic differences in early brain development may contribute to the development of bipolar and other mental health conditions later in life.
The team also found that the neurons from bipolar patients were "addressed" differently during development than those from non-bipolar patients, meaning signaling could be misdirected. They say this could affect brain development.
Furthermore, the researchers found differences in microRNA expression - small RNA fragments that play an important role in "reading" genes - in the cells of bipolar patients. The teams says this discovery supports the idea that bipolar disorder develops from a "combination of genetic vulnerabilities."
Source
What makes a person bipolar, prone to manic highs and deep, depressed lows? Why does bipolar disorder run so strongly in families, even though no single gene is to blame? And why is it so hard to find new treatments for a condition that affects 200 million people worldwide?
"We're very excited about these findings. But we're only just beginning to understand what we can do with these cells to help answer the many unanswered questions in bipolar disorder's origins and treatment," says Melvin McInnis, M.D., principal investigator of the Prechter Bipolar Research Fund and its programs.
The researchers found that the neurons from bipolar patients expressed more genes for membrane receptors and ion channels than the neurons from non-bipolar patients - particularly genes for receptors and channels involved in sending and receiving calcium signals between cells.
Since calcium signals play a significant role in neuron development and function, the investigators say their findings suggest that genetic differences in early brain development may contribute to the development of bipolar and other mental health conditions later in life.
The team also found that the neurons from bipolar patients were "addressed" differently during development than those from non-bipolar patients, meaning signaling could be misdirected. They say this could affect brain development.
Furthermore, the researchers found differences in microRNA expression - small RNA fragments that play an important role in "reading" genes - in the cells of bipolar patients. The teams says this discovery supports the idea that bipolar disorder develops from a "combination of genetic vulnerabilities."
Source
What makes a person bipolar, prone to manic highs and deep, depressed lows? Why does bipolar disorder run so strongly in families, even though no single gene is to blame? And why is it so hard to find new treatments for a condition that affects 200 million people worldwide?
"We're very excited about these findings. But we're only just beginning to understand what we can do with these cells to help answer the many unanswered questions in bipolar disorder's origins and treatment," says Melvin McInnis, M.D., principal investigator of the Prechter Bipolar Research Fund and its programs.
"For instance, we can now envision being able to test new drug candidates in these cells, to screen possible medications proactively instead of having to discover them fortuitously."
The research was supported by donations from the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund, the Steven M. Schwartzberg Memorial Fund, and the Joshua Judson Stern Foundation. The A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute at the U-M Medical School also supported the work, which was reviewed and approved by the U-M Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research Oversight committee and Institutional Review Board.
O'Shea, a professor in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology and director of the U-M Pluripotent Stem Cell Research Lab, and McInnis, the Upjohn Woodworth Professor of Bipolar Disorder and Depression in the Department of Psychiatry, are co-senior authors of the new paper.
McInnis, who sees firsthand the impact that bipolar disorder has on patients and the frustration they and their families feel about the lack of treatment options, says the new research could take treatment of bipolar disorder into the era of personalized medicine.
Not only could stem cell research help find new treatments, it may also lead to a way to target treatment to each patient based on their specific profile -- and avoid the trial-and-error approach to treatment that leaves many patients with uncontrolled symptoms. New stem cell research published by scientists from the University of Michigan Medical School, and fueled by the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund, may help scientists find answers to these questions.
The team used skin from people with bipolar disorder to derive the first-ever stem cell lines specific to the condition. In a new paper in Translational Psychiatry, they report how they transformed the stem cells into neurons, similar to those found in the brain -- and compared them to cells derived from people without bipolar disorder.
The comparison revealed very specific differences in how these neurons behave and communicate with each other, and identified striking differences in how the neurons respond to lithium, the most common treatment for bipolar disorder.
It's the first time scientists have directly measured differences in brain cell formation and function between people with bipolar disorder and those without. The researchers are from the Medical School's Department of Cell & Developmental Biology and Department of Psychiatry, and U-M's Depression Center.
The team used a type of stem cell called induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs. By taking small samples of skin cells and exposing them to carefully controlled conditions, the team coaxed them to turn into stem cells that held the potential to become any type of cell. With further coaxing, the cells became neurons.
"This gives us a model that we can use to examine how cells behave as they develop into neurons. Already, we see that cells from people with bipolar disorder are different in how often they express certain genes, how they differentiate into neurons, how they communicate, and how they respond to lithium," says Sue O'Shea, Ph.D., the experienced U-M stem cell specialist who co-led the work.
The team used skin from people with bipolar disorder to derive the first-ever stem cell lines specific to the condition. In a new paper in Translational Psychiatry, they report how they transformed the stem cells into neurons, similar to those found in the brain -- and compared them to cells derived from people without bipolar disorder.
The comparison revealed very specific differences in how these neurons behave and communicate with each other, and identified striking differences in how the neurons respond to lithium, the most common treatment for bipolar disorder.
It's the first time scientists have directly measured differences in brain cell formation and function between people with bipolar disorder and those without. The researchers are from the Medical School's Department of Cell & Developmental Biology and Department of Psychiatry, and U-M's Depression Center.
The team used a type of stem cell called induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs. By taking small samples of skin cells and exposing them to carefully controlled conditions, the team coaxed them to turn into stem cells that held the potential to become any type of cell. With further coaxing, the cells became neurons.
"This gives us a model that we can use to examine how cells behave as they develop into neurons. Already, we see that cells from people with bipolar disorder are different in how often they express certain genes, how they differentiate into neurons, how they communicate, and how they respond to lithium," says Sue O'Shea, Ph.D., the experienced U-M stem cell specialist who co-led the work.
More about the findings:
The skin samples were used to derive the 42 iPSC lines. When the team measured gene expression first in the stem cells, and then re-evaluated the cells once they had become neurons, very specific differences emerged between the cells derived from bipolar disorder patients and those without the condition.
Specifically, the bipolar neurons expressed more genes for membrane receptors and ion channels than non-bipolar cells, particularly those receptors and channels involved in the sending and receiving of calcium signals between cells.
Calcium signals are already known to be crucial to neuron development and function. So, the new findings support the idea that genetic differences expressed early during brain development may have a lot to do with the development of bipolar disorder symptoms -- and other mental health conditions that arise later in life, especially in the teen and young adult years.
Meanwhile, the cells' signaling patterns changed in different ways when the researchers introduced lithium, which many bipolar patients take to regulate their moods, but which causes side effects. In general, lithium alters the way calcium signals are sent and received -- and the new cell lines will make it possible to study this effect specifically in bipolar disorder-specific cells.
Like misdirected letters and packages at the post office, the neurons made from bipolar disorder patients also differed in how they were 'addressed' during development for delivery to certain areas of the brain. This may have an impact on brain development, too.
The researchers also found differences in microRNA expression in bipolar cells -- tiny fragments of RNA that play key roles in the "reading" of genes. This supports the emerging concept that bipolar disorder arises from a combination of genetic vulnerabilities.
The researchers are already developing stem cell lines from other trial participants with bipolar disorder, though it takes months to derive each line and obtain mature neurons that can be studied. They will share their cell lines with other researchers via the Prechter Repository at U-M. They also hope to develop a way to use the cells to screen drugs rapidly, called an assay.
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by University of Michigan Health System. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
The above story is based on materials provided by University of Michigan Health System. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
- H M Chen, C J DeLong, M Bame, I Rajapakse, T J Herron, M G McInnis, K S O’Shea. Transcripts involved in calcium signaling and telencephalic neuronal fate are altered in induced pluripotent stem cells from bipolar disorder patients. Translational Psychiatry, 2014; 4 (3): e375 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2014.12
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