Astrocytes derived from patients with bipolar disorder affect neuronal activity

Astrocytes are a type of brain cell, and astrocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with bipolar disorder cannot provide ideal support for neuronal activity.

"Our findings indicate that IL-6 may cause deficiencies related to bipolar disorder, which opens up new avenues for clinical intervention.

Approximately 1% to 3% of people suffer from bipolar disorder, which is characterized by a cycle of emotional states ranging from energetic and elated (known as mania) to insufficient energy and depressive episodes.

"Although mild inflammation is beneficial to many neurological processes, overproduction of IL-6 may aggravate the symptoms of bipolar disorder and may be an important therapeutic target.

Astrocytes are thought to be involved in the inflammatory cascade in the brain.

Researchers have previously developed a method to rapidly generate inflammatory astrocytes from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

The response of patient astrocytes to pro-inflammatory cytokines shows a unique transcription pattern characterized by high expression of IL-6 gene.

"These results indicate that astrocyte secretory factors play a role in regulating neuronal activity.

In the next step, the researchers plan to further study the effect of IL-6 on neuronal activity.

"At present, it is still challenging to derive the results directly to patients with bipolar disorder," Gage said.

Related paper information: http://dx.