"Risk For Bipolar Disorder Associated With Faster Aging"
Researchers from King's College London and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that healthy relatives of bipolar patients had shorter telomeres compared to healthy controls. This suggests that genetic or environmental factors associated with family risk for bipolar disorder are also linked to faster biological aging. Sophia Frangou, MD, professor of psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, co-senior author of the study says, “Our study shows that telomere length is a promising biomarker of biological ageing and susceptibility to disease in the context of bipolar disorder. Moreover, it suggests that proteins which protect against telomere shortening may provide novel treatment targets for people with bipolar disorder and those predisposed to it.”
- Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai