늘어나는 ‘조울증’…근본적 치료 가능성 열어
A mild form of bipolar disorder is becoming increasingly common among people in Korea these days due to various stress factors.
A local research team here in Korea has found a new principle behind the mental illness,… bringing them one step closer to finding a way to treat and possibly even prevent it.
Park Se-young has the details.
Korea has seen a steady rise in the number of patients with bipolar disorder in recent years.
By 2015, 92-thousand people had been diagnosed with the mental illness.
Amid the global research efforts devoted to bipolar disorder, a Korean research team has discovered a new principle behind its occurrence.
Bipolar disorder is the result of an imbalance between the “exciting” and “comforting” neurons in the brain that either promote or suppress various forms of excitement.
The researchers have spotted the key enzyme that governs the interaction.
When a protein behind the production of that enzyme was removed from the brains of mice, they displayed excessive excitement and symptoms of bipolar disorder.
“The balance is broken when the gamma-1 enzyme loses its ability to function. Amid abnormalities resulting from the imbalance, we observed symptoms of bipolar disorder.”
The researchers say bipolar disorder can be caught and maybe even prevented through regular observations of the enzyme protein.
The ability to regulate the balance of neurons using the newly discovered enzyme is expected to open the door to personalized treatment for individual symptoms.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.
Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages
Facebook(NEWS):
Homepage:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Instagram:
