Biochemistry of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder is a mental health disease. Most believe it is caused by variations in brain chemistry. The bipolar brain works differently than a non-bipolar brain because of certain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are used to communicate between nerve cells.

Neurotransmitters

• Neurotransmitters are chemicals that take messages from nerve cells that monitor activities in everyday life. There are two kinds: inhibitory neurotransmitters and excitatory neurotransmitters. Inhibitory neurotransmitters calm the brain and help create balance, and excitatory neurotransmitters stimulate the brain.

Types

• There are five types of neurotransmitters. The inhibitory neurotransmitters are Serotonin and Gamma Amnibutyric Acid (GABA). The excitatory ones are Epinephrine and Norepinephrine. The fifth, Dopamine, is both excitatory and inhibitory.

Genetics

• Most psychologists agree that bipolar disorder is genetic. It is thought to involve many gene variants all acting in small ways. Research found a relationship between the disorder and a variation in two separate genes that manage the flow of elements into and out of cells; specifically, neurons which are the messages of neurotransmitters.

Mania

• Mania is one of the poles of bipolar disorder that causes periods of high energy, unusual thought patterns, and sometimes psychosis. GABA and Norepinephrine have been implicated as the cause of this problem. Bipolar people may have too much or not enough of these chemicals in the brain during a manic episode.

Depression

• Depression is the other pole of the disorder. It is characterized by a lack of energy and motivation. Dopamine regulates this. Too little Dopamine will cause a person to be depressed. Dopamine may also contribute to the rapid mood swings associated with bipolar disorder.