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[Temperamental endophenotypes]
1SHU Psychiatrie Adultes - Pavillon Solaris, Hôpital Sainte-Marguerite, 13274 Marseille cedex 09, France. jazorin@ap-hm.fr
L'Encephale
|January 3, 2013
Summary
Affective temperaments, the biologically based core of personality, are linked to bipolar disorder. Understanding these temperaments offers insights into illness presentation, course, and treatment, potentially revealing evolutionary advantages.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Genetics
- Behavioral Neuroscience
Context:
- The relationship between temperament and mental illness, particularly bipolar disorder, has a long history dating back to Greco-Roman medicine.
- Pioneering work by Kraepelin identified temperamental precursors in bipolar disorder patients and their relatives.
- Akiskal's modern concept of affective temperament provides a framework for understanding bipolar disorder on a continuum.
Purpose:
- To explore the role of affective temperaments in the etiology, presentation, course, and treatment of bipolar disorder.
- To review modern research supporting the link between temperaments and bipolar disorder, including genetic and familial studies.
- To examine the evolutionary perspectives and potential endophenotypic status of affective temperaments.
Summary:
- Recent studies highlight the influence of temperaments on bipolar episode onset, clinical features, illness progression, and comorbidities.
- Familial and genetic research validates historical observations linking specific temperaments to bipolar disorder.
- Affective temperaments are proposed to confer evolutionary advantages, with affective disorders potentially serving as reservoirs for these adaptive traits.
Impact:
- Recognizing temperamental components is crucial for effective bipolar disorder treatment strategies.
- Affective temperaments meet the criteria for an endophenotype, bridging genetics and clinical presentation.
- This research deepens our understanding of bipolar disorder's biological underpinnings and evolutionary significance.
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