Technological advances are improving genetic research on bipolar disorder. One
example is the launch of the Bipolar Disorder Phenome Database, funded in part
by NIMH. Using the database, scientists will be able to link visible signs of the
disorder with the genes that may influence them.16
Scientists are also studying illnesses with similar symptoms
such as depression and schizophrenia to identify
genetic differences that may increase a person’s risk for
developing bipolar disorder.17, 18, 19 Finding these genetic
“hotspots” may also help explain how environmental factors
can increase a person’s risk.
But genes are not the only risk factor for bipolar disorder.
Studies of identical twins have shown that the twin of a
person with bipolar illness does not always develop the disorder, despite the fact
that identical twins share all of the same genes. Research suggests that factors
besides genes are also at work. It is likely that many different genes and environmental
factors are involved. However, scientists do not yet fully understand how
these factors interact to cause bipolar disorder.