The Biologic Basis of Bipolar Five mini-chapters on the brain
chemistry of mania and depression 1. The genetic basis of
bipolar disorder 3. The central role of the biological clock
[updated 8/2008] |The biologic basis of depression is described
in a separate section on this website. It is a rather long
story. Over time, this story about bipolar disorder will likely
become longer as well. I will try to keep this page updated with
new findings. As of 2008, treatment of bipolar disorder is
roughly equivalent to when diabetes was treated without insulin.
We do not know the fundamental cause and cannot therefore target
our treatments accordingly. However, our understanding is
growing very quickly. I used to hope that a Nobel prize would be
awarded someday to someone who made the key discovery. But it
now appears that the tapestry of manic symptoms is extremely
complex. Many threads have been identified, and they are just
beginning to come together. This is a very exciting time in the
history of bipolar understandi