Neuroimaging in bipolar disorder: A critical review of current findings

Matthew T. Keener, Mary L. Phillips
2007 Current Psychiatry Reports  
Bipolar I disorder (BPI) is among the top 10 most debilitating illnesses globally. In this critical review, we first review recent functional neuroimaging findings in two core domains of pathology in BPI: emotion processing and executive control. These abnormalities in core domains represent potential endophenotypes of the illness. We then show that an emerging number of studies have demonstrated that neuroimaging can help to identify endophenotypic markers whose identification would help to
more » ... rify diagnosis and discriminate the depression in BPI from that of unipolar depression and identify at-risk individuals who will subsequently develop the illness (to facilitate early intervention). We end by reviewing the new directions in neuroimaging in BPI, including studies of children with bipolar disorder, potential medication effects, and the use of newer neuroimaging techniques to help us achieve the previously mentioned goals of improving BPI patients' mental well-being. Also, the depression associated with bipolar disorder frequently continues to be treated as unipolar depression (UPD). Bipolar depression has been shown to respond poorly to antidepressants [4] and is associated with increased rates of switching to a manic state. As such, once bipolar disorder or UPD is correctly diagnosed, providing effective treatment is a primary concern.
doi:10.1007/s11920-007-0070-2 pmid:18221633 pmcid:PMC2686113 fatcat:jk3cwnpm2nhmfbwgt53jmqwxyy