Genetic Testing for Bipolar Disorder

By Hailey Maxwell

What Is Bipolar Disorder, Actually?

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression or major affective disorder, is found in approximately 4 percent of the adult human population (Comer & Comer, 2018). There is a strong biological basis for this disease, including a genetic predetermination towards developing it. The risk increases to up to 10% if a close relative has the disorder. Among identical twins, the concurrence is between 40 and 70%. Additionally, children of men who were above the age of 40 at the time of conception are 6 times more likely to develop the disorder, which is thought to be because as men age, they have more mutations in their sperm (Comer & Comer, 2018). It is not known how many genes impact one’s likelihood of developing bipolar disorder. Many genes have been found to, in combination, increase one’s risk. Genes on 12 chromosomes have been linked to bipolar disorder (Comer & Comer, 2018).

The Genetics of Bipolar Disorder

A specific gene involved in bipolar disorder is GRM7, which codes for proteins at the receptor sites for the neurotransmitter L-glutamate, an important excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (Jun et al., 2014). The mutation in GRM7 that is tested for in genetic testing is a deletion that affects the structure of certain neurons, preventing them from receiving the neurotransmitter glutamate (Escamilla & Zavala, 2008). This prevents these neurons from firing properly.

The best-known genetic test for bipolar disorder is the Autism spectrum/hyperactivity/bipolar disorder, GRM7 related test. The test costs $399. It tests for the deletion or duplication of the gene (Doheny, 2008). However, there are so many genes involved in bipolar disorder that this one test will not be very informative as to one’s risk of developing the disorder. When considered along with race and family history, the results of the test are more informative. The group for which the test is most informative is white people of Northern European ancestry who have a family history of bipolar disorder. If the test comes back positive, this group is 3 times as likely to develop the disorder (Doheny, 2008). However, when considering that the rate among the general population is only 4%, an increase by a factor of 3 only raises the risk to 12%.

Should You Get Tested?

My recommendation would not be to get this, or any other, test for bipolar disorder. There are too many genes involved in the disorder for any one to be able to make a significant difference in the risk of developing the disorder and there is no test that can test for enough of the genes to be a good indication of whether someone will develop it. Even if this were the only gene that contributed to this disorder, a positive result on the test only marginally increases one’s risk. Even if the test were free, it would still not be recommended, but for the price of $400, I do not suggest taking this test. Instead, if you are concerned about your mental health, treat yourself well. Avoid stress, caffeine, and alcohol or other drug use. Exercise, sleep and eat well, and keep a consistent schedule (Healthwise Staff, 2018).

I Got Tested. Now What?

If you decide to go through with the test and you test negative, you do not know anything more about your risk of developing bipolar disorder. You may or may not have a mutation in a different gene that increases your risk. If you test positive, do not be overly concerned. Your risk of developing the disorder is still very low and the odds are that you will not suffer from bipolar disorder at any point in your lifetime. If you are still concerned that you will develop bipolar disorder, it is best to reduce your stress. Other than biological causes, stress is the largest agitator of bipolar disorder (Comer & Comer, 2018). It is also recommended to reduce alcohol and other drug use, as many of these substances heavily impact one’s moods and can potentially influence the development or treatment of a mood disorder.

It is suggested that you share the results of this test with your therapist, especially if you are in treatment for major depressive disorder. Bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder when the patient has not yet had a serious manic episode. Sharing with your therapist that you are at heightened risk for bipolar disorder is recommended so that he or she may keep a closer eye out for manic behaviors and be quicker to treat them if they appear.

Sources:

Comer, R. J., & Comer, J. S. (2018). Abnormal psychology.

Doheny, K. (2008, June 4). At-Home Bipolar Disorder Test: Accuracy, Diagnosis, and More. Retrieved November 13, 2019, from https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/features/at-home- bipolar-test-help-or-hindrance#1

Escamilla, M. A., & Zavala, J. M. (2008). Genetics of bipolar disorder. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 10(2), 141–152.

Healthwise Staff (2018, September 11). Bipolar Disorder: Preventing Manic Episodes. Retrieved from https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/ty6584.

Jun, C., Choi, Y., Lim, S. M., Bae, S., Hong, Y. S., Kim, J. E., & Lyoo, I. K. (2014). Disturbance of the glutamatergic system in mood disorders. Experimental neurobiology, 23(1), 28–35. doi:10.5607/en.2014.23.1.28

CCHS Service Outreach

On September 27, I went to Clarke Central High School to show AP environmental science students how to determine the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in soil samples. This was different than when we were doing this in our class, because I had to take a lead role and teach them myself. I found that I understood the process better when I had to be able to explain it and answer questions.

I liked doing this with the high school students because I could see them start to understand just how important of an issue antibiotic resistance is. They were disgusted by the bacteria and did not like that they were present on even the plates with antibiotics. When I told them that these were dilutions and there were actually thousands more bacteria in the original 1g of the sample, I could see that they understood the problem.

Most of the students I was working with were very engaged in the project, which was what I expected since they are taking an elective about environmental science. I worked with two groups of three, and one group was doing a very good job of carefully counting and documenting everything. The other group had one member who was working hard and two freshman who spent the majority of the time flirting, which was frustrating for me because I couldn’t get them to focus for very long. However, both groups did finish counting in time for me to explain the calculations and for the two groups to compare their data.

This picture shows the set up of the group that was documenting all of their data on their own without me having to come over and tell them to do it.

I would definitely do another outreach to a high school. I think it is very important to educate children about environmental issues so that they can help fix them. Additionally, these students learned skills for doing research. At first, they didn’t understand why there were two different sets of plates that both had to be counted, but at the end, when we were comparing data, they saw that the two sets yielded similar but different numbers and that we had to average them for the most accurate results.

World Climate Simulation – Hailey Maxwell

When I played my role in the policy exercise, I felt both powerful and frustrated. As a member of the US delegation, our negotiating power was high; we had money that the other countries wanted, and we could bargain with that instead of having to promise to reduce our emissions. However, as a human who wants the earth to still be functional in 80 years, I was very frustrated, both with how slowly negotiations were progressing and with how little effect many of our changes had on the climate. My group became significantly more willing to decrease carbon emissions and to donate money as negotiations went on. We started with a goal of a 2040 peak year and essentially no donations, but we ended with 2030 and about 12 billion dollars. This change was prompted by seeing how little effect the changed we were forcing on the other countries had. We realized we and our ally, China, needed to also commit to a sooner peak year, and we were only able to get China to do so by offering to donate about as much money as they did. I think emissions can certainly be cut; however, I am not so optimistic that they will be cut by enough or soon enough to prevent irreversible change. Major costs and barriers to the implementation of proposals, at least on the part of the US, were that we were reluctant to do anything that might harm our economy in the slightest. Public opinion in the US is not as concerned with the climate as it is with matters of national security and the economy. In order to catalyze change in the US, we need to increase public concern for the climate so that politicians can fight for it without risking their positions.

Hailey Maxwell – Watershed Reflection

In this picture I see a storm drain with a sign asking people to not dump things into it because it drains to the river. There is no river present, but it’s a reminder of the river that flows underground throughout campus.
What struck me was that as soon as I noticed one of these signs, I noticed many more. Even within about 20 feet of the storm drain pictured were two more, one of which I walked past before even noticing this one. But without having had this first one brought to my attention, I never would have noticed any of them.
This makes me think about how much of a problem it must be for rivers when people dump trash or even just other liquids into storm drains. Obviously, it’s a problem when people dump things directly into a river, but I hadn’t thought about how much trash must enter rivers through storm drains.
This picture makes me feel hopeful. The more awareness there is of the effect trash has on the river, the cleaner the rivers will be. I also like that the sign shows a picture of a fish, reminding people of the direct effects dumping can have on wildlife in rivers.
This picture is about conserving river and watershed ecosystems in any way we can. Some people go on walks specifically to pick up trash, others place or even just obey signs like these. While some of these activities are more helpful than others, participating in any is beneficial to the river.

Hailey Maxwell

(I’m the one in the UGA shirt)

In high school, I took biology, chemistry, AP physics, and AP chemistry. My favorite was AP chemistry, which I think was because of the structure of the class and the fact that the labs were really fun. Content-wise, I liked physics the best because it’s mostly math.

Ideally, I’d like to learn to like biology because I hated it in high school. I think the reason I hated it was because of the teacher, not the subject, so I hope that this course will change that. Or at least, if I still don’t like biology, I’ll know it’s for the subject.

I would like to help with the watershed clean up project. My high school had Campus Beautification days a few times a semester where students cleaned up green areas on campus which will help me with this project. I think my fellow students will enjoy having a cleaner campus.

I can learn how groups of people can come together to solve public problems.

I’m interested in learning about genetics.