title: Biologic basis of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 833 Chestnut Street, Suite 210, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. Angelica.Kloos@mail.tju.edu
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kloos
authors.forename: Elizabeth B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Weller
authors.forename: Ronald A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Weller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D018692:Antimanic Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D018020:Lithium Compounds / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
chemical_list: D018692:Antimanic Agents; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D018020:Lithium Compounds; D005973:Glutamine; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D018698:Glutamic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate