The neurodevelopmental basis of bipolar disorder: Mechanisms and implications

Abstract Various lines of evidence indicate neurodevelopmental processes to be implicated in neurobiological and pathophysiological aspects of bipolar disorder (BD). Alternations in neurodevelopmental mechanisms appear to be more robustly linked to subgroups of BD characterized by early age of onset or psychotic symptoms, indicating potential common pathomechanisms and a continuum of schizophrenia and BD. Emerging evidence supporting a potential involvement of dysfunctional neuronal development in the pathogenesis of BD, or specific subpopulations, includes studies investigating perinatal and developmental factors as well as epidemiological, clinical, neurocognitive, genomic, neuroimaging and postmortem studies. This chapter provides an overview, synopsis, and discussion of reported research suggesting neurodevelopmental processes in BD and potential implications for future research.