Written from the studies on PubMed, searched on 2026. nov. 11.. Every number below comes from a study listed under Sources.
The claim
Posts online say that stem cell treatment helps with bipolar disorder.
Where research stands
We found 34 published papers on stem cell treatment and bipolar disorder. They were published between 2006 and 2026. None of them is a study in people. 2 were studies in animals, and 8 were only in cells in the lab. 14 papers are reviews that sum up other studies. 1 new study in people is running or will start soon, says the trial register ClinicalTrials.gov.
- 0In people
- 2In animals
- 8Only in the lab
What the studies found
We have not summed up these studies in words yet. The most important papers are listed under Sources.
Verdict
Stem cell treatment has been studied for bipolar disorder in animals, not yet in people.
Unproven means: it was only tested in animals or cells, or there is too little or mixed data from people. How we rate claims
What this means for you: Results in animals or in cells often do not hold in people. Do not stop or change your medicines because of it. Ask your doctor before you start taking it.
Sources
- Advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder through induced pluripotent stem cell models.2024 · J Psychiatry Neurosci · Review
- MicroRNAs, Stem Cells in Bipolar Disorder, and Lithium Therapeutic Approach.2022 · Int J Mol Sci · Review
- Modeling Psychiatric Disorder Biology with Stem Cells.2020 · Curr Psychiatry Rep · Review
- Stem Cells in Psychiatry.2019 · Adv Exp Med Biol · Review
- From the Psychiatrist's Couch to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Bipolar Disease in a Dish.2018 · Int J Mol Sci · Review
- Immune-based strategies for mood disorders: facts and challenges.2018 · Expert Rev Neurother · Review
- Generation of two induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines (HZSMHCI001-A and HZSMHCI004-A) from a mother-child dyad with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.2026 · Stem Cell Res · In animals
- Cell therapy in the treatment of bipolar mania in an animal model: a proof of concept study.2017 · Trends Psychiatry Psychother · In animals
- Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC)-Derived GABAergic Neuron Differentiation in Bipolar Disorder.2024 · Cells · In the lab
- Altered neuroepithelial morphogenesis and migration defects in iPSC-derived cerebral organoids and 2D neural stem cells in familial bipolar disorder.2024 · Oxf Open Neurosci · In the lab
- A pilot investigation of differential hydroxymethylation levels in patient-derived neural stem cells implicates altered cortical development in bipolar disorder.2023 · Front Psychiatry · In the lab
- Abnormal gene expression of BDNF, but not BDNF-AS, in iPSC, neural stem cells and postmortem brain samples from bipolar disorder.2021 · J Affect Disord · In the lab
- Corrigendum to "Generation of two induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines (HZSMHCI001-A and HZSMHCI004-A) from a mother-child dyad with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder" [Stem Cell Res. 91 (2026) 103920].2026 · Stem Cell Res · Other paper
- No evidence for transmission of psychosis, bipolar or depressive disorder via hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A Swedish registry study.2022 · Psychiatry Clin Neurosci · Other paper
- Corrigendum to "Generation of human induced pluripotent stem cell lines (hiPSC) from one bipolar disorder patient carrier of a DGKH risk haplotype and one non-risk-variant-carrier bipolar disorder patient" [Stem Cell Res. 2018 Oct;32:104-109. doi: 10.1016/j.scr.2018.09.008. Epub 2018 Sep 17].2019 · Stem Cell Res · Other paper
- Corrigendum to Establishment of TUSMi005-A, an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line from a 32-year old Chinese Han patient with Bipolar Disorder (BD). Stem Cell Research 33(2018) 65-68.2019 · Stem Cell Res · Other paper
