Research & Development In Brief

Omega-3s and biopolar disorder: Subjects in a study measuring the effect of omega-3s on pediatric bipolar disorder experienced a "statistically significant but modest" reduction in Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), according to results published in the May-June issue of European Neuropsychopharmacology. The prospective, open-label trial evaluated 20 participants age 6-17 who took omega-3 fatty acids 1,290 mg - 4,300 mg combined EPA and DHA over an eight-week period. Omega-3s are thought to be related to improvement in mood disorders because "abnormalities in fatty acid composition of phospholipids in cell membranes have been described in psychiatric disorders," Janet Wozniak, Harvard Medical School, et al., point out. Evidence that omega-3s are protective for both heart disease and mood disorder "has important clinical implications given the increased risk for diabetes associated with the atypical antipsychotics commonly used" in treatment of bipolar disorder, they add...