Bipolar disorder

Recent articles

A younger looking set of hands holds an older looking set of hands.

New catalog charts familial ties from autism to 90 other conditions

The research tool reveals associations stretching across three generations.

By Charles Q. Choi
17 October 2024 | 4 min read

New resource maps gene expression, regulation in neuron subtypes

The catalog could help researchers understand the effects of autism-linked DNA variants that fall outside genes.

By Chloe Williams
1 July 2022 | 4 min read
Young woman sitting alone at window in the shadows.

Autistic LGBTQ+ people report frequent mental health problems

The co-occurring conditions may stem from the heightened stress people in minority communities experience.

By Niko McCarty
16 May 2022 | 2 min read
Book cover conceptual illustration of chromosome superimposed with genetic tree.

A whisper of autism: Fragile X carriers and the autism phenotype

Among people who carry the fragile X premutation, about 14 percent of boys and 5 percent of girls meet the criteria for autism, but the ‘broad autism phenotype’ may be far more common.

By Anne Skomorowsky
21 April 2022 | 14 min read
Overhead view of crowd of people walking in Copenhagen city square.

Population study downgrades some copy number variants’ impact on autism

Some copy number variants may boost a person’s chances of having autism, but to a lesser extent than previously thought.

By Charles Q. Choi
28 January 2022 | 5 min read
Pregnant woman holding two white pills in her hand.

Prenatal exposure to antipsychotic medication does not increase odds of autism, ADHD

Children born to mothers who take antipsychotic drugs during pregnancy are not more likely to have autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or to be born preterm or underweight.

By Peter Hess
20 August 2021 | 2 min read
Teen girl up at night, looking at her computer.

Childhood autism traits linked to hypomania in adolescence

Children with autism traits tend to show agitation, excitability, decreased sleep and other mild signs of mania in adolescence; the association is higher in identical twins than fraternal twins, suggesting that genetics plays a role.

By Laura Dattaro
10 May 2021 | 4 min read
Brain hemispheres color-coded.

Autism shares brain structure changes with other psychiatric conditions

Atypical development of a particular type of neuron explains the structural similarities seen in the brains of people with autism, schizophrenia and other conditions, according to a new study.

By Angie Voyles Askham
1 October 2020 | 5 min read
Variants linked to multiple conditions, including autism, tend to appear in genes that influence brain development, as shown in this chart in blue and grey.

Autism may share inherited variants with other psychiatric conditions

Some of the inherited variants implicated in autism also increase the odds of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
13 January 2020 | 4 min read
A young teen woman sits on stairs with her head hanging down, her face hidden by her hair.

Adolescent anxiety predicts later psychiatric diagnoses in autistic people

People with autism are at increased odds of having other psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety and depression, but the links can be counterintuitive.

By Michael Marshall
2 January 2020 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of a funnel taking abstract shapes in at the top and spouting an organized flow of shapes out at the bottom.

To keep or not to keep: Neurophysiology’s data dilemma

An exponential growth in data size presents neuroscientists with a significant challenge: Should we be keeping all raw data or focusing on processed datasets? I asked experimentalists and theorists for their thoughts.

By Nima Dehghani
25 November 2024 | 5 min read
Piggy bank with half of its body replaced by a brain.

Neuroscientists reeling from past cuts advocate for more BRAIN Initiative funding

The director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health calls BRAIN a “high priority” but acknowledges that difficult decisions lie ahead if federal budgets remain flat.

By Angie Voyles Askham
22 November 2024 | 5 min read
A repeating pattern of orange butterflies against a blue background.

‘Huge influx’ of neuroscientists migrates to Bluesky

Daily neuroscience-related posts on the social-media platform this week have increased more than 400 percent, on average, compared with October.

By Calli McMurray
21 November 2024 | 5 min read