Inflammation in Bipolar Disorder: Identification of New Therapeutic Targets

• Autor(a) principal: Oliveira, Joana
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Madeira, Nuno, Cruz, Maria Teresa, Pereira, Cláudia Fragão
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.25756/rpf.v11i4.229

Introduction: Bipolar disorder is a mental illness originated from the concept “mania”. It is a chronic, cyclic pathology characterized by the appearance of alternating episodes of mania/hypomania with episodes of euthymia/depression. We intend to identify new therapeutic approaches for treatment of bipolar disorder, taking into account the involvement of inflammation in its pathophysiology.Methods: Literature review linking bipolar disorder with inflammation and possible therapeutic targets, based on review articles. Research of clinical trials to evaluate new therapeutic interventions.Results: The pharmacological treatment of bipolar disorder is complex and periodically adapted to the disease phase. To understand the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder, several hypotheses related to the underlying inflammatory process are proposed, such as pathological activation of microglia, unraveling a wide range of therapeutic targets. Some clinical trials are currently underway to evaluate the effectiveness of new therapeutic strategies.Conclusion: Mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder, have resulted in great concern in the scientific and medical community, due to their social and economic impact. Given the involvement of inflammation in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder, the immune system is a new therapeutic target. Thus, new treatment options include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and glutamate antagonists. These new approaches require further study, including clinical trials.