Lithium’s effect on hippocampal synaptic biology in bipolar disorder

In this study, we will utilize patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived hippocampal neurons and microglia to investigate hippocampal synaptic biology in bipolar disorder (BD). Our primary objective is to determine if BD is associated with altered synaptic density and pruning compared to healthy controls (HC). Furthermore, we will stratify BD patients into lithium responders (LiR) and non-responders (NR) to assess baseline differences in synaptic density and pruning between LiR and NR and the pharmacological effect of lithium on synaptic biology across groups.