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Blood test results could help predict bipolar symptoms
Researchers have discovered a possible link between bipolar disorder and certain blood markers. The UK-based longitudinal study (PDF) started when kids were nine years old, examining if the presence of the infection-fighting interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein and asthma or eczema had a link to hypomania when the participants were 22 years old. Turns out that higher levels of IL-6 at childhood are indicative of hypomanic symptoms later in life -- depression and psychosis -- which can lead to bipolar disorder.
Big Brother-equipped straight jacket further proves you're crazy
While the Virtual Hallucinating goggles and Brain Machine can certainly give you a taste of the erratic, a new behavioral-pattern monitor at the University of California, San Diego will reportedly be used to "study the behavior of patients with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia." The LifeShirt, "a computerized vest that continuously monitors the patient's movements," sports integrated sensors to monitor hyperactive and repetitive movements and record data on "respiration, heart rate, and other physiological measures." Notably, the padded room wearers are presumably crammed into sports a ceiling-mounted webcam that films their exploratory behavior in order to better analyze movement patterns associated with certain disorders. Eventually, of course, researchers are hoping that data collected from the sensor-laden straight jacket could be used to create new drugs to help combat the behavioral abnormalities, but for all of our sakes, let's hope this thing doesn't fall into the wrong hands.[Via MedGadget, photo courtesy of TechnologyReview]
