Low ?-N-acetylgalactosaminidase plasma concentration correlates with the presence and severity of the bipolar affective disorder

Objectives: Believing that a neurodevelopmental pathology may cause bipolar affective disorder (BAD), we aimed to measure the concentrations of ?-N-acetylgalactosaminidase (?-NAGAL), a lysosomal enzyme. Methods: The study included 32 patients with BAD and 32 healthy controls. The Young Mania Rating Scale was used to measure the severity of the disease. Serum ?-N-acetylgalactosaminidase concentrations were measured in all blood samples using the human ?-N-acetylgalactosaminidase ELISA Kit. Results: A statistically significant difference was found in the ?-NAGAL values between the groups. The mean ?-NAGAL values of BAD patients are lower than the mean ?-NAGAL values of the control group. A strong negative and statistically significant relationship was found between the ?-NAGAL values of patients with BAD and their Young Mania Rating Scale scores. And a positive strong correlation was found between the age of onset of the disease and ?-NAGAL levels. Conclusions: Low ?-N-acetylgalactosaminidase concentrations may cause accumulation of some glycoproteins in the lysosomes in the brain during the gestational period, producing the clinical symptoms of BAD. ?-N-acetylgalactosaminidase deficiency may not be the only cause of BAD, but it may be an important factor in the etiology of this disease.