Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia share many brain similarities

Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may be caused by malfunctions in similar regions of the brain, according to a new study. The findings may help explain why a prescription to buy Zyprexa is often an effective treatment for individuals with either condition.

While both disorders result in significantly different symptoms, they may share many similarities in terms of a root cause. Researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland found that abnormalities in the hippocampus region of the brain are present in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

In particular, patients with both conditions exhibited changes in the way information is passed via protein messengers from one brain cell to the other. This could disrupt the manner in which the outside world is interpreted.

"Our study is the first to show the depth of protein similarities between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder as they appear in the brain and the processes associated with them," said David Cotter, who led the study. "Although, the two conditions present with different symptoms, the research has shown that they are almost identical in terms of how they present in the brain."