Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Elucidate Neurological Details on Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

This paper explores how induced Pluripotent Stem Cells have been used to show how characteristics of neural cells-- including cell proliferation, action potential firing, and specific expression of genes crucial for neuron functioning such as calcium channel genes-- are altered in cases of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. More specifically, the paper introduces the Wnt pathway in detail and explores how other researchers have found alterations in this pathway. It mentions how whole-cell patch clamping research have found altered responsiveness and activity to stimuli. Alterations in expression key genes are highlighted, and accompanying explanations of implications for these alterations are included. Lastly, it examines some critical areas of improvements for cell reprogramming via induced Pluripotent Stem Cell methodology