As outlined on the slide, human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) model systems have been used to great effect to study bipolar disorder, leading to some interesting insights into lithium responsiveness in people with bipolar disorder.1-4 More research is needed, using more complex model systems that can better model the whole brain, to understand how these insights translate into understanding the development of the brain in bipolar disorder, and ultimately how to help patients.3
References:
1. Mertens J, Wang QW, Kim Y, et al. Differential responses to lithium in hyperexcitable neurons from patients with bipolar disorder. Nature 2015; 527 (7576): 95–99.
2. Stern S, Santos R, Marchetto MC, et al. Neurons derived from patients with bipolar disorder divide into intrinsically different sub-populations of neurons, predicting the patients’ responsiveness to lithium. Mol Psychiatry 2018; 23 (6): 1453–1465.
3. Stern S, Sarkar A, Stern T, et al. Mechanisms underlying the hyperexcitability of CA3 and dentate gyrus hippocampal neurons derived from patients with bipolar disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 88 (2): 139–149.
4. Stern S, Sarkar A, Galor D, et al. A physiological instability displayed in hippocampal neurons derived from lithium-nonresponsive bipolar disorder patients. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 88 (2): 150–158.