Exploratory study of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and age of onset of bipolar disorder

Bauer M.;Glenn T.;Achtyes E. D.;Alda M.;Agaoglu E.;Altinbas K.;Andreassen O. A.;Angelopoulos E.;Ardau R.;Aydin M.;Ayhan Y.;Baethge C.;Bauer R.;Baune B. T.;Balaban C.;Becerra-Palars C.;Behere A. P.;Behere P. B.;Belete H.;Belete T.;Belizario G. O.;Bellivier F.;Belmaker R. H.;Benedetti F.;Berk M.;Bersudsky Y.;Bicakci S.;Birabwa-Oketcho H.;Bjella T. D.;Brady C.;Cabrera J.;Cappucciati M.;Castro A. M. P.;Chen W. -L.;Cheung E. Y. W.;Chiesa S.;Crowe M.;Cuomo A.;Dallaspezia S.;Del Zompo M.;Desai P.;Dodd S.;Etain B.;Fagiolini A.;Fellendorf F. T.;Ferensztajn-Rochowiak E.;Fiedorowicz J. G.;Fountoulakis K. N.;Frye M. A.;Geoffroy P. A.;Gitlin M. J.;Gonzalez-Pinto A.;Gottlieb J. F.;Grof P.;Haarman B. C. M.;Harima H.;Hasse-Sousa M.;Henry C.;Hoffding L.;Houenou J.;Imbesi M.;Isometsa E. T.;Ivkovic M.;Janno S.;Johnsen S.;Kapczinski F.;Karakatsoulis G. N.;Kardell M.;Kessing L. V.;Kim S. J.;Konig B.;Kot T. L.;Koval M.;Kunz M.;Lafer B.;Landen M.;Larsen E. R.;Lenger M.;Licht R. W.;Lopez-Jaramillo C.;MacKenzie A.;Madsen H. O.;Madsen S. A. K. A.;Mahadevan J.;Mahardika A.;Manchia M.

Writing - Review & Editing

;Marsh W.;Martinez-Cengotitabengoa M.;Martini J.;Martiny K.;Mashima Y.;McLoughlin D. M.;Meesters Y.;Melle I.;Meza-Urzua F.;Mikolas P.;Mok Y. M.;Monteith S.;Moorthy M.;Morken G.;Mosca E.

Writing - Review & Editing

;Mozzhegorov A. A.;Munoz R.;Mythri S. V.;Nacef F.;Nadella R. K.;Nakanotani T.;Nielsen R. E.;O'Donovan C.;Omrani A.;Osher Y.;Ouali U.;Pantovic-Stefanovic M.;Pariwatcharakul P.;Petite J.;Petzold J.;Pfennig A.;Ruiz Y. P.;Pinna M.

Writing - Review & Editing

;Pompili M.;Porter R. J.;Quiroz D.;Rabelo-da-Ponte F. D.;Ramesar R.;Rasgon N.;Ratta-apha W.;Ratzenhofer M.;Redahan M.;Reddy M. S.;Reif A.;Reininghaus E. Z.;Richards J. G.;Ritter P.;Rybakowski J. K.;Sathyaputri L.;Scippa A. M.;Simhandl C.;Smith D.;Smith J.;Stackhouse P. W.;Stein D. J.;Stilwell K.;Strejilevich S.;Su K. -P.;Subramaniam M.;Sulaiman A. H.;Suominen K.;Tanra A. J.;Tatebayashi Y.;Teh W. L.;Tondo L.;Torrent C.;Tuinstra D.;Uchida T.;Vaaler A. E.;Vieta E.;Viswanath B.;Yoldi-Negrete M.;Yalcinkaya O. K.;Young A. H.;Zgueb Y.;Whybrow P. C.

2023-01-01

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Abstract

Background: Sunlight contains ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation that triggers the production of vitamin D by skin. Vitamin D has widespread effects on brain function in both developing and adult brains. However, many people live at latitudes (about > 40 N or S) that do not receive enough UVB in winter to produce vitamin D. This exploratory study investigated the association between the age of onset of bipolar I disorder and the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production in a large global sample. Methods: Data for 6972 patients with bipolar I disorder were obtained at 75 collection sites in 41 countries in both hemispheres. The best model to assess the relation between the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production and age of onset included 1 or more months below the threshold, family history of mood disorders, and birth cohort. All coefficients estimated at P ≤ 0.001. Results: The 6972 patients had an onset in 582 locations in 70 countries, with a mean age of onset of 25.6 years. Of the onset locations, 34.0% had at least 1 month below the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production. The age of onset at locations with 1 or more months of less than or equal to the threshold for UVB was 1.66 years younger. Conclusion: UVB and vitamin D may have an important influence on the development of bipolar disorder. Study limitations included a lack of data on patient vitamin D levels, lifestyles, or supplement use. More study of the impacts of UVB and vitamin D in bipolar disorder is needed to evaluate this supposition.