Original Article The

transcription factor SP4 is reduced in postmortem cerebellum of bipolar disorder subjects: control by depolarization and lithium Despite the personal and social burden of bipolar disorder (BD), the etiology and the pathogenesis underlying this condition are not completely understood. Structural abnormalities in brain areas of BD subjects have been reported in magnetic resonance imaging studies, including alterations in the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex (1–4). An increasing body of evidence indicates that, in addition to its classical motor coordination func-tion, the cerebellum is also involved in psycholog-ical alterations and in the modulation of affective