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Article Date: 01/21/2009

Lecture on Bipolar Illness at Zucker Hillside Hospital
Scientists at The Zucker Hillside Hospital will be hosting a special one-night community lecture on the latest research on bipolar illness on Thursday, January 22, from 7 to 9 pm in the Sloman Auditorium, 75-59 263rd St., Glen Oaks. The lecture is open to the public. Anil Malhotra, MD, director of psychiatry research, and Katherine Burdick, PhD, director of the neurocognitive assessment laboratory, will talk about the genetics of bipolar illness and how the disease disrupts a person’s ability to think clearly. These cognitive deficits have an impact on a person’s behavior and mood.

Bipolar disorder affects as much as three percent of the population and is known to run in families. Understanding the genetics of the illness will help unravel the biology of the disease and lead to more effective and precise therapies. The Zucker Hillside Hospital has led the way in psychiatric research into bipolar disease and schizophrenia for many decades. The research conducted at the hospital is part of an ongoing effort to identify genes that contribute to mental illness. The scientists are collaborating with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, in a large, federally funded study on the genetics of early-onset mania. Working with scientists at Cold Spring Harbor, Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute of Mental Health, Zucker Hillside scientists are recruiting people who had their first manic episode before age 21. Their biological parents will be asked to take part in the study. In addition to a blood sample used to identify risk genes, scientists will conduct diagnostic interviews with the patient and his or her parents. The patient volunteers also undergo extensive neuropsychological testing to identify cognitive problems, including assessments of memory and concentration.

The hospital has a number of other studies on bipolar disorder. The lecture is part of an occasional series of public talks about research on mental illness. For more information, contact Nisha Chitkara, research coordinator, at 718-470-8935, or by email at nchitkar@nshs.edu. Dr. Malhotra, an expert on genetics of psychiatric illnesses, and Dr. Burdick, an expert on cognitive testing, will answer questions about bipolar disease and the latest research and experimental treatments.

Website Address: http://www.nslijhs.edu/template.cfm?xyzpdqabc=0&id=204&action=detail&ref=1144

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