Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Isolation of Cortical Microglia with Preserved Immunophenotype and Functionality From Murine Neonates
Published on: January 30, 2014
Is bipolar disorder an inflammatory condition? The relevance of microglial activation
Laura Stertz1, Pedro V S Magalhães, Flávio Kapczinski
1Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisas Experimentais, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, and INCT for Translational Medicine, Brazil.
Purpose Of Review:
Literature published over the past few years indicates that bipolar disorder has an inflammatory component but does not explicitly define bipolar disorder as an inflammatory or a noninflammatory condition.
Recent Findings:
Recent studies have shown that bipolar disorder involves microglial activation and alterations in peripheral cytokines and have pointed to the efficacy of adjunctive anti-inflammatory therapies in bipolar depression.
Summary:
The presence of active microglia and increased proinflammatory cytokines in bipolar disorder suggests an important role of inflammatory components in the pathophysiology of the disease, as well as a possible link between neuroinflammation and peripheral toxicity.
Related Concept Videos
Bipolar Disorder
Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
Mania and Antimanic Drugs: Overview
Chronic Inflammation: Introduction
Gut-Brain Axis
Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Ulcerative Colitis
