title: Shortened telomere length in bipolar disorder: a comparison of the early and late stages of disease.
abstract: Bipolar disorder (BD) has been associated with increased rates of age-related diseases, such as type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disorders. Several biological findings have been associated with age-related disorders, including increased oxidative stress, inflammation, and telomere shortening. The objective of this study was to compare telomere length among participants with BD at early and late stages and age- and gender-matched healthy controls.
  Twenty-six euthymic subjects with BD and 34 healthy controls were recruited. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and mean telomere length was measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
  Telomere length was significantly shorter in both the early and late subgroups of BD subjects when compared to the respective controls (p = 0.002 and p = 0.005, respectively). The sample size prevented additional subgroup analyses, including potential effects of medication, smoking status, and lifestyle.
  This study is concordant with previous evidence of telomere shortening in BD, in both early and late stages of the disorder, and supports the notion of accelerated aging in BD.
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica, Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Bioinformática, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors: Florencia M
authors: FM
authors: Barbé-Tuana
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica, Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Bioinformática, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors: Mariana M
authors: MM
authors: Parisi
authors: Laboratório de Psiquiatria Molecular, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.|Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psiquiatria e Ciências do Comportamento, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors: Bruna S
authors: BS
authors: Panizzutti
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors: Gabriel R
authors: GR
authors: Fries
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica, Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Bioinformática, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors: Lucas K
authors: LK
authors: Grun
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica, Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Bioinformática, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.|Laboratório de Bioquímica e Biologia Celular de Lipídeos, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors: Fátima T
authors: FT
authors: Guma
authors: Laboratório de Psiquiatria Molecular, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.|Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psiquiatria e Ciências do Comportamento, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors: Flávio
authors: F
authors: Kapczinski
authors: Centre for Innovation in Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Treatment (IMPACT), Strategic Research Centre, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.|Department of Psychiatry, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Orygen-The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Berk
authors: Laboratório de Psiquiatria Molecular, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.|Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psiquiatria e Ciências do Comportamento, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors: Clarissa S
authors: CS
authors: Gama
authors: Laboratório de Psiquiatria Molecular, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.|Departamento de Farmacologia, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors: Adriane R
authors: AR
authors: Rosa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics*; D059506:Telomere Shortening / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004247:DNA