We asked project lead Professor Daniel Smith some questions about his inspirations, challenges and real world impact of this research project. What inspired you to pursue this particular research project, and how did you come up with the idea for it? For most of my career I have been involved with research and clinical practice in bipolar disorder. We have always known that lithium is the most effective treatment for bipolar disorder but we don't really know how it works. Within the last few years, it has become clear that bipolar disorder is primarily a disorder of circadian function (that is, disruption in our daily 24-hour rhythms of rest, activity, energy and behaviour). It is possible that lithium works by making these rhythms more stable. The novel aspect of this research is that we will test whether lithium makes people with bipolar disorder more resilient to the destabilising effects of light (in bipolar disorder, too much light at night can cause disruptions of circadian rhythms, leading to episodes of depression and mania). If this proves to be correct, it would open the field for new treatments focused on making circadian rhythms more stable. Can you share a notable challenge or obstacle you encountered during the course of your research, and how did you overcome it? One of the key challenges is bringing together a large group of expert researchers from a variety of different disciplines and institutions. Each subgroup of researchers is responsible for a different aspect of the project, but it is vital we work together to ensure a cohesive approach. This has required real dedication from all members of the research team, including administrative staff who have ensured our regular meet ups and communications are well organised and effective. There has been strong leadership and a concerted effort from all researchers to maintain regular communications, and to encourage an environment where any difficulties can be discussed and resolved openly, ensuring good research practice. How do you envision the potential real-world applications or impact of your research? What do you hope it could contribute to the broader field or society? We hope that through studying the impact of light and circadian rhythm (the body clock) in bipolar disorder, we can better understand some of the underlying mechanisms in this serious illness, and how lithium works to improve symptoms. This will then help us to understand where to target future therapies for bipolar disorder, important for both researchers and people who live with bipolar disorder. How can people who would like to get involved with your research get in touch? We would love to hear from anyone who is interested in getting involved in our research. For more information about the study they can find our Participant Information Sheet on our website below. www.HeliosBD.com. To contact the team to ask further questions or arrange to take part, they can email us at HeliosBD@ed.ac.uk or call us on 07788512143. Related Links www.HeliosBD.com Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences This article was published on 2024-09-09
