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Astrocytes in Bipolar Disorder.
Arthur M Butt1, Andrea D Rivera2
1School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK. arthur.butt@port.ac.uk.
Advances in Neurobiology
|December 10, 2021
Summary
Bipolar disorder (BD) involves mood episodes and brain changes like grey and white matter thinning. Astrocytes, crucial brain cells, are implicated in BD, offering potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers for treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Bipolar disorder (BD) is a complex neuropsychiatric condition characterized by manic and depressive episodes.
- Neuropathology in BD includes progressive thinning of cortical grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM), affecting neuronal and astrocyte populations and disrupting connectivity.
- Dysregulation of astrocyte homeostatic functions, including glutamate, calcium signaling, circadian rhythms, and metabolism, is implicated in BD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of astrocytes in the neuropathology of bipolar disorder.
- To investigate astrocytes as potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers for bipolar disorder management.
- To understand how frontline BD treatments exert their effects through astrocytic pathways.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on bipolar disorder neuropathology.
- Analysis of studies investigating astrocyte function in BD.
- Examination of the mechanisms of action for common BD treatments on astrocytes.
Main Results:
- Astrocytes play a significant role in the homeostatic dysfunctions observed in bipolar disorder.
- Key BD treatments, including lithium, valproic acid (VPA), and carbamazepine (CBZ), demonstrate beneficial effects through positive actions on astrocytes.
- Astrocytes are identified as promising therapeutic targets and potential biomarkers for illness progression and treatment response in BD.
Conclusions:
- Astrocytes are central to the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder.
- Targeting astrocytes offers a novel therapeutic strategy for BD.
- Astrocytes can serve as valuable biomarkers for monitoring BD progression and treatment efficacy.
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