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Reconsidering the Association Between the Major Histocompatibility Complex and Bipolar Disorder

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Abstract

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a cyclical and chronic affective disorder, globally recognized as an important public health problem and characterized by mood changes with recurring phases such as mania and depression. It is considered a complex disease, depending on the interaction of genetic and environmental triggers (stressors factors), but with a poorly known pathogenesis. Recent studies have implicated immune factors in the pathogenesis of BD and more particularly associated with different human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) regions. A major consortium study have recently linked BD to hundreds of variations with stronger associations in the MHC region, such as the rs3130297 SNP, located in the NOTCH4 gene, with an additional overlapping association with schizophrenia. This short review focuses on studies that investigated the association between bipolar disorder and the MHC, and the involvement of the immune system in the pathogenesis of the disease, in order to provide further information for additional diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Fully understanding the etiology and pathophysiology of BD is extremely important to define new approaches for intervention and prevention, maybe through the modulation of the immune system.

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Acknowledgments

This study received financial support from the following Brazilian funding agencies and academic bureaus: LIKA-UFPE, PROPESQ-UFPE, and CAPES.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Keizo Asami Laboratory (LIKA), Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

    Thalita Cristina Figueiredo & João Ricardo Mendes de Oliveira

  2. Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

    Thalita Cristina Figueiredo & João Ricardo Mendes de Oliveira

  3. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Federal University of Pernambuco, 50670-901, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

    João Ricardo Mendes de Oliveira

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  1. Thalita Cristina Figueiredo
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  2. João Ricardo Mendes de Oliveira
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Correspondence to João Ricardo Mendes de Oliveira.

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Figueiredo, T.C., de Oliveira, J.R.M. Reconsidering the Association Between the Major Histocompatibility Complex and Bipolar Disorder. J Mol Neurosci 47, 26–30 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-011-9656-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-011-9656-6

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