Biologic basis of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents

Bipolar disorder is a serious and difficult-to-treat condition in any age group. In childhood and adolescence, diagnosis and treatment present specific challenges, as the disorder often manifests in atypical presentations, such as marked irritability and frequent alterations of mood states not typically seen in adults. The lack of double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in pediatric populations also leads to many difficult pharmacologic challenges. In this paper, we review available studies in neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neurocognitive functioning, and genetics to further explore the underlying neurobiologic mechanisms of child and adolescent bipolar disorder. Future investigation should elicit distinct mechanisms for diagnosing and treating bipolar disorder from a neurobiologic perspective.