is bipolar hereditary

The cause of bipolar disorder is unclear, but hereditary, biological, and psychological factors may play a role. For example, the incidence of bipolar disorder among relatives of affected patients is higher than in the general population and higher among maternal relatives. The closer the relationship, the better sensitivity. Children with an affected parent has a 25% chance of developing bipolar disorder, children with both parents affected, 50%. The incidence of this disease in siblings is 20% to 25%, and identical twins, the incidence is 66% to 96%.

Although the exact cause of bipolar disorder (disease manic-depressive illness) still has not been determined there is a large body of scientific evidence that indicates a chemical imbalance in the brain. As for the causes of this imbalance, there are several viable theories, which focus on a combination of heredity and environmental triggers. Presented here relevant information to these theories.

According to National U.S. government Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), "There is no single cause for bipolar disorder – rather, many factors act together to cause disease. " Because bipolar disorder tends to run in families, researchers have been looking for specific genes passed down through generations that may increase a person's chances of developing the disease. " Moreover, the results of the genetic research suggest that bipolar disorder, like other mental illnesses, does not occur because of a single gene. "

When speaking of causes biological, the first question is whether bipolar disorder can be inherited. This question has been investigated in multiple family, adoption and twin studies. In families of people with bipolar disorder, first-degree relatives (parents, children, siblings) are more likely to have a mood disorder relatives of those without bipolar disorder. Twin studies indicate that if one twin has a mood disorder, an identical twin is almost three times more likely than a fraternal twin to have a mood disorder too.

Brain imaging studies are helping scientists learn what goes wrong in the brain to produce bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses. New brain imaging techniques allow researchers to take pictures of the brain that live in work, to examine its structure and activity, without the need for surgery or other invasive procedures. These techniques include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). There is evidence from imaging studies that the brains of people with bipolar disorder may be different from the brains of healthy individuals.

Genes are the blueprint for all cells and their contents. Scientists believe that changes in genes can lead to defective proteins that occur within brain cells. These proteins can then be defective in bipolar disorder. But genes not the whole story. Studies of identical twins, who share all the same genes, indicate that genes and other factors play a role in bipolar disorder. If bipolar disorder were caused solely by genes, then the identical twin of someone with the disease ever develops the disease, and research has shown that this is not the case. But if one twin has bipolar disorder, the other twin is more likely to develop the disease than is another sibling.

Bipolar disorder involves periods of elevated mood, or mania. Usually, but not alwaysthe disorder also involves periods of depression. In a typical case, a person with bipolar disorder cycle between these two extremes to experience recurrent episodes of elevated and depressed mood, often with symptoms free installments in the middle.

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.comWhat Causes Bipolar Disorder?

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