Bipolar disorder (BP) is a chronic neuropsychiatric condition characterized by pathological
fluctuations in mood from mania to depression. Adoption, twin and family studies have
consistently identified a significant hereditary component to BP, yet there is no clear genetic
event or consistent neuropathology. BP has been suggested to have a developmental
origin, although this hypothesis has been difficult to test since there are no viable neurons or
glial cells to analyze, and research has relied largely on postmortem brain, behavioral and …