Research Proposal Poster

The Effects of Environmental
Factors on the Development of

Bipolar Disorder
Abstract
Bipolar disorder is a difficult psychological problem to
understand with many factors that are part of its
development. In this study, a sample of 200 young
adults that have a history of bipolar disorder in their
families between the ages of 20 and 25 will be asked
a series of questions in the form of a survey. The
questions asked will be about personal experiences
during early childhood and whether or not the
participant has been diagnosed with the disorder.
Through this study, it is predicted that a correlation will
be found between traumatic experience in early
childhood and the future gene expression of bipolar
disorder.
Introduction
Bipolar disorder, or manic-depressive illness, is a
brain disorder that causes unusual changes in mood,
energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out dayto-day tasks. The symptoms of the disorder vary
between individuals and are usually very severe
(Gibson, Brand, Burt, and Benson, 2013). Bipolar
disorder can either be passed down genetically or it
can be a result of improper brain functions. Something
that is interesting about bipolar disorder is that a
parent that has been diagnosed with the disorder will
not necessarily have children that will be diagnosed.
The purpose of this study is to find a correlation
between the expression of the genetic factors that
cause bipolar disorder and traumatic events that may
have happened to the individual during childhood,
when the brain is more susceptible to trauma due to
environmental factors (Akhter et al., 2013). If a
correlation can be found between traumatic events in
early developmental periods of life, and the future
diagnosis of bipolar disorder, it may help with
bettering the measures taken to properly diagnose the
disorder.
Hypothesis
If individuals that have inherited a gene that is a factor
in the later diagnosis of bipolar disorder undergo
traumatic events during early childhood, they are
more likely to be later diagnosed with the disorder
during their young adulthood years.
Ana Heully
Literature Review
Methods
Predicted Results
To have a better understanding of the topic of this research

proposal, other studies on bipolar disorder had to be examined.
One that was found was written for the forty-second annual
conference
of
the
International
Society
of
Psychoneuroendocrinology. In this study, the researcher
conducted an experiment where the participants were exposed
to chronic stressors over a 12-month period to see how
telomere length, which is a factor in the development of
psychological disorders, was affected. It has been found that
leading a stressful lifestyle has been related with shortening
telomere length, which will then affect the expression of genes
that cause bipolar disorder. The researcher found that there is a
relation between chronic stressors shortening telomere length
(Hildebrandt, Yehuda, and Olff, 2012). This study is relevant
because it explains how psychosocial resiliency and healthy
lifestyle factors may prevent a variety of psychological
disorders, including bipolar disorder.
In another article that was prepared for institutions of
mental health and patients that have been diagnosed with
bipolar disorder or schizophrenia to help them better
understand the causes of their disorder. The study was done to
compare the gray and white matter structures in patients that
have been diagnosed with either bipolar disorder or
schizophrenia. The researcher of this study found that in both
disorders there are overlapping gray matter frontal temporal
lobe structural alteration in their neurobiology. These alterations
in the temporal lobe structure are due primarily to genetic
factors, but this researcher stated that he planned on
conducting further research on other factors that could affect
these alterations (Anderson et al., 2013). This study assists in
the clarification of the physical changes that affect the brain of a
person with bipolar disorder, and suggests that genetic factors
are not the only things that can cause these alterations.
In the online journal database called Behavioral and Brain
Functions, there was an article of a study that was conducted
because there have been previous findings that genetic and
environmental factors can create an imbalance in the central
serotonin system, which can than affect the development of
bipolar disorder and if antipsychotic drugs affect the efficiency of
the dopamine system. The researcher concluded that there is a
possible involvement in the efficiency of the dopamine D2
receptors with the development of bipolar disorder traits
(Nemoda et al., 2010). The results of this study make the
possible involvement of dopamine receptor variants in the
development of bipolar disorder better known, and can lead to
future research on the dopamine systems contribution in the
development of bipolar disorder.
In another study that was completed by a university in
Sweden, researchers found that relative hypocortisolism and
hypercortisolism were associated with depression and a lower
quality of life, which provides an insight into the role of stressful
lifestyles and the development of bipolar disorder (Maripuu,
Wikgren, Karling, Adolfsson, Norrback, 2014). This study shows
that is important to keep stress levels in the life patients with
bipolar disorder low, in order for them to be able to maintain a
higher quality of life.
The final article that was found that helped with direction of
this study was written for the journal Bipolar Disorders. In this
study, the researcher found that significant seasonal changes
affect the severity of the symptoms of bipolar disorder (Akhter et
al., 2013). This was found useful, because the study shows how
environmental factors that are uncontrollable by the patient can
affect their state of mind.
Participants:
Two hundred undergraduate college students
between the ages of twenty and twenty-five that
attend Louisiana State University will be asked to
partake in the study, and will be asked via email. The
universitys students come from all over the country,
with the majority being from Louisiana. The
participants will be provided with an informed consent
form that will be available to them to read and sign
online.
Design:
This study will be a static group comparison,
because there is only one independent variable,
whether the participant has or has not been a victim to
traumatic events during the ages of five and ten.
Traumatic events would include whether the
participant had a parent pass away at a young age, if
they were victims of physical or emotional abuse, or if
their family was of a low economic class. The
diagnosis of the adolescents has two levels, having
bipolar disorder or not. The dependent measures will
be based on the participants responses to the survey.
Materials:
The computers in the Our Lady of the Lake
College library will be used for the participants to take
the survey. The survey will consist of five yes/no
questions.
Procedure:
The two hundred participants will be divided into
ten groups of twenty with specific time slots to come
complete the survey. The participants will be told that
the study is being done to find if there is a correlation
between events that happened to them between the
ages of five and ten with their diagnosis of bipolar
disorder. All of the participants will be tested in the
same room using the same computers.
Before the participants are asked to complete the
survey, it will be made known that all of the
information provided will be kept confidential and will
only be made available to the researcher. There will
also be a psychologist available for the participants if
they feel the need to converse with them about any
problems they may be having.
As the participants prepare for the survey, a
proctor will read the instructions in a neutral tone. The
participants will be asked for questions before starting
the survey. After all of the participants in the group
have completed the survey, they will be thanked for
participating in the study and be allowed to leave.
For this study, it is predicted that the majority of the participants

that have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder will not only
have a history of the disorder in their family, but they will have
also either have lost a parent, been a victim of child abuse, or
had a family that had trouble economically. The results will be
used to find a positive correlation between traumatic events in
early childhood and the participants diagnosis.
History
Family of
Victim of
Participants
of
Loss of a
Low
Child
Diagnosis
Bipolar
Parent
Economic
Abuse
Disorder
Standing
Bipolar
disorder
150
50
56
44
No symptoms
of bipolar
disorder
25
15
10
*These results are predicted
The distribution of responses shows that the majority of

participants that have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder not
only had a family history of the disorder, but also had a
traumatic event occur to them while they were children. These
results show that there is a positive correlation between the
diagnosis of bipolar disorder and traumatic events during the
ages of five and ten. These results can influence future
research concerning patients that are victims of post traumatic
stress disorder and the gene expression of bipolar disorder, or
assist in finding diagnostic tools in children that are at risk of
developing bipolar disorder.
References
Akhter, A., Fiedorowicz, J. G., Zhang, T., Potash, J. B.,
Cavanaugh, J., Solomon, D. A., & Coryell, W. H. (2013).
Seasonal variation of manic and depressive symptoms bipolar
disorder.
Bipolar
Disorders,
15(4),
377-384.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bdi.12072
Anderson, D., Ardekani, B. A., Burdick, K. E., Robinson, D. G.,
John, M., Malhorta, A. K., & Szeszko, P. R. (2013).
Overlapping and distinct gray and white matter abnormalities
in schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder. Bipolar Disorders,
15(6), 680-693. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bdi.12096
Gibson, S., Brand, S. L., Burt, S., Boden, Z. V. R., & Benson, O.
(2013).
Understanding
treatment
non-adherence
in
schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: A survey of what service
users do and why. BMC Psychiatry, 13(1), 1-12.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-13-153
Hildebrandt, T., Yehuda, R., & Olff, M. (2012). Effects of traumatic
stress molecular and hormonal mechanism. European Journal
of Psychotraumatology, 3, 1-123.
Maripuu, M., Wikgren, M., Karling, P., Adolfsson, R., & Norrback,
K.-F. (2014). Relative hypo- and hypercortisolism are both
associated with depression and lower quality of life in bipolar
disorder: A cross-sectional study. PLOS One, 9(6), 1-12.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0098682
Nemoda, Z., Lyons-Ruth, K., Szekely, A., Bertha, E., Faludi, G., &
Sasvari-Szekely,
M.
(2010).
Association
between
dopaminergic polymorphisms and borderline personality traits
among at-risk young adults and psychiatric inpatients.
Behavioral & Brain Functions, 6, 1-11. Retrieved from EBSCO
Host database. (Accession No. 48482890)

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The Effects of Environmental

Factors on the Development of

To have a better understanding of the topic of this research

For this study, it is predicted that the majority of the participants

*These results are predicted

The distribution of responses shows that the majority of

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