Bipolar Disorder
More than 70 million are diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD), but treatment efficacy has been limited by major unknowns including the cause of the illness and proclivity for mania/depression cycling. A multi-year study of recent neuroscience advances was conducted in a search for bipolar insights. A 2018 APA poster presentation summarized early progress.
Advances in epigenetics and cancer research along with severe oxidative overload in WRI's 1,500 BD patient database suggest somatic weakness in DNA-repair and antioxidant-protection genes. A 2021 GWAS genomic study identified 64 small-effect bipolar variants that include DNA damage genes that may have no direct relevance to BD. An exclusion analysis was preformed, and the results revealed 15 expected to be “true” BD variants.
High DNA damage rates in BD were confirmed by greater risk for conditions unrelated to BD, including heart disease, breast cancer, diabetes, and many others. USA life expectancy for those with bipolar disorder is only 67 years compared to 79 years in the general population, suggesting severe DNA damage may be a prerequisite for BD onset.
All findings and evidence are to be presented in The Essence of Bipolar Disorder by William J. Walsh, Ph.D.
Hopefully, the knowledge gained from this investigation will lead to the development of improved therapies for this devastating disorder.
Advances in epigenetics and cancer research along with severe oxidative overload in WRI's 1,500 BD patient database suggest somatic weakness in DNA-repair and antioxidant-protection genes. A 2021 GWAS genomic study identified 64 small-effect bipolar variants that include DNA damage genes that may have no direct relevance to BD. An exclusion analysis was preformed, and the results revealed 15 expected to be “true” BD variants.
High DNA damage rates in BD were confirmed by greater risk for conditions unrelated to BD, including heart disease, breast cancer, diabetes, and many others. USA life expectancy for those with bipolar disorder is only 67 years compared to 79 years in the general population, suggesting severe DNA damage may be a prerequisite for BD onset.
All findings and evidence are to be presented in The Essence of Bipolar Disorder by William J. Walsh, Ph.D.
Hopefully, the knowledge gained from this investigation will lead to the development of improved therapies for this devastating disorder.
Schizophrenia
IIn year 2019, the Walsh Research Institute (WRI) discovered a major change in the schizophrenia population has occurred since 1975. The overmethylated form of schizophrenia (excessive dopamine neurotransmission) that represented more than 50% of cases in 1975 has declined to less than 10%. In addition, incidence of the undermethylated phenotype (excessive activity at NMDA and low serotonin activity) has increased to more than 65% of new cases.
The new study involves testing of folate and Vitamin B-12 levels in birth-mothers of undermethylated schizophrenics. We believe the combination of folate and B-12 supplements may be especially impactful with respect to a baby’s DNA methylation. This controlled study will include determination of folate and B-12 levels in volunteer schizophrenia subjects.
This experimental study tests the hypothesis: "Abnormal maternal folate levels have a major impact on schizophrenia incidence by altering DNA methylation."
The new study involves testing of folate and Vitamin B-12 levels in birth-mothers of undermethylated schizophrenics. We believe the combination of folate and B-12 supplements may be especially impactful with respect to a baby’s DNA methylation. This controlled study will include determination of folate and B-12 levels in volunteer schizophrenia subjects.
This experimental study tests the hypothesis: "Abnormal maternal folate levels have a major impact on schizophrenia incidence by altering DNA methylation."
WRI is also currently performing analysis on the gene loci identified by the GWAS done by the Schizophrenia Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium in an effort to determine a more exact underlying mechanism for the disorder. The hope is that through this method, new and more effective treatments, and possibly prevention, can be achieved.
Autism
There is recent evidence from a Johns Hopkins study that the cause of increased occurrences of autism may lie not just in better diagnostics but also excessive folate supplementation during pregnancy. Several published cord-blood studies indicate that folate supplementation during pregnancy causes reduced methyl bookmarking (also known as undermethylation) of the child's DNA. More than 95% of severely-affected autistic people are undermethylated.
WRI has designed a controlled study that measures folate levels in birth mothers of severely autistic children to determine if excessive folate supplementation during pregnancy is associated with higher autism incidence.
WRI has designed a controlled study that measures folate levels in birth mothers of severely autistic children to determine if excessive folate supplementation during pregnancy is associated with higher autism incidence.