Abstract
In view of the potential effects of psychiatric drugs on DNA methylation, we investigated whether medication use in bipolar disorder is associated with DNA methylation signatures. Blood-based DNA methylation patterns of six frequently used psychotropic drugs (lithium, quetiapine, olanzapine, lamotrigine, carbamazepine, and valproic acid) were examined in 172 bipolar disorder patients. After adjustment for cell type composition, we investigated gene networks, principal components, hypothesis-driven genes and epigenome-wide individual loci. Valproic acid and quetiapine were significantly associated with altered methylation signatures after adjustment for drug-related changes on celltype composition. Psychiatric drugs influence DNA methylation patterns over and above cell type composition in bipolar disorder. Drug-related changes in DNA methylation are therefore not only an important confounder in psychiatric epigenetics but may also inform on the biological mechanisms underlying drug efficacy.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
