Involved Neurotransmitters and Receptors
Being a complex neurobiological issue, bipolar disorder has an intricate pathway that determines the pathology. Specifically, the interconnected limbic, striatal and fronto-cortical neurotransmitters are involved in the pathology of the disorder. Connected into a network, the specified systems contribute to the development of the disorder to a significant extent., Additionally, the cholinergic, catecholaminergic and serotonergic are believed to be connected to the emergence of bipolar disorder in patients (Shi et al., 2020). The presence of two systems as the pathway to the development of the bipolar disorder is defined by the need to understand the bipolar disorder as a health issue occurring at different levels, namely, the molecular and cellular ones, along with the behavioral level (Shi et al., 2020). Therefore, the opportunities for addressing it can be identified more accurately.
Regions of the Nervous System Involved with Any Pathological Anatomical Changes,
Similarly, the areas of the nervous system that the bipolar disorder affects are quite numerous. Specifically, the disease targets and alters the frontal, temporal, and parietal regions, introducing the alterations that would exist permanently and determine the quality of the patient’s life. Thus, early intervention is vital for the successful management of bipolar disorder. Additionally, reduced activity is observed in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during the episodes of bipolar disorder in patients (Shi et al., 2020).
Abnormalities of Neural Circuits and Pathways
The presence of abnormalities of neural circuits and pathways has been long debated in bipolar disorder. To date, several studies have confirmed the development of abnormalities in the brain in the case of bipolar disorder (Shi et al., 2020). Specifically, the function of emotional processing in the prefrontal cortical-hippocampal-amygdala part of the brain has been observed (Shi et al., 2020). Therefore, bipolar disorder suggests changes in the patient’s ability to process emotions and the physical structure of their brains.
Reference
Shi, J., Guo, H., Liu, S., Xue, W., Fan, F., Fan, H., & Tan, Y. (2020). Resting-state functional connectivity of neural circuits associated with primary and secondary rewards in patients with bipolar disorder. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 15(7), 755-763. Web.