The role of lithium in modulation of brain genes: relevance for aetiology and treatment of bipolar disorder.
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 beta) 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.
Fatemi
S Hossein
SH
Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuroscience Research, University of Minnesota Medical School, MMC 392, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. fatem002@umn.edu
Reutiman
Teri J
TJ
Folsom
Timothy D
TD
D000818:Animals; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D018020:Lithium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D018020:Lithium Compounds