14 DAY TRIAL // According to the conclusions of a new scientific study, it would appear that postural problems are in fact a core feature of bipolar disorder (BPD), rather than just random symptoms. The new knowledge can be used to gain a better understanding of the neural causes this condition has.
This study, authored by Indiana University motor control and psychology researchers, potentially provides new avenues of research in developing a viable treatment against BPD. By targeting the affected areas of the brain specifically, the efficiency of drugs can be boosted significantly.
The team reveals that the new study may also have applications for people suffering from Huntington’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as for those suffering from schizophrenia. Balance, postural control and other motor control problems affect these individuals too.
At this time, however, there are insufficient studies investigating these links. What the IU team found was that postural control issues could be used as a risk factor for determining if a person is more likely than peers to develop bipolar disorder.
Posture refers to keeping your body in balance while standing upright. In Parkinson’s, for example, patients experience involuntary shaking, that makes it difficult for them to walk normally.
In the new research, lead study author Amanda R. Bolbecker proposes that treating motor system problems might also contribute to alleviating mood disorders. The expert holds an appointment with the IU College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.
The study, entitled “Postural control in bipolar disorder: Increased sway area and decreased dynamical complexity,” appears in a paper published in last week's issue of the Public Library of Science-edited journal PLoS ONE.
“For a number of psychological disorders, many different psychiatric treatments and therapies have been tried, with marginal effects over the long term,” the team leader explains.
“Researchers are really starting to look at new targets. Our study suggests that brain areas traditionally believed to be responsible for motor behavior might represent therapeutic targets for bipolar disorder,” she goes on to say.
The research team draws attention that not all motions people make while maintaining their posture need to be interpreted as early signs of BPD or other similar disorder. No one can stand perfectly still.
“Instead, we make small adjustments at our hips and ankles based on what our eyes, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and semi-circular canals tells us,” explains investigator. S. Lee Hong, quoted by Science Blog.
“The better these sensory sources are integrated, the less someone sways,” adds the expert, who is an assistant professor in the IU School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (SHPER) Department of Kinesiology, and also a coauthor of the study.