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Increased anterior cingulate and caudate activity in bipolar mania
H P Blumberg1, E Stern, D Martinez
1Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, The Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA.
Biological Psychiatry
|November 30, 2000
Summary
Bipolar disorder mania shows increased brain activity in the anterior cingulate and caudate. These findings highlight a frontal cortical-subcortical neural system involved in manic states.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Executive function deficits in cognition, emotion, and behavior characterize the manic state of bipolar disorder.
- Frontal lobe systems are implicated in these executive dysfunctions.
- The precise localization of functional brain abnormalities during mania remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate brain activity patterns during manic states in bipolar disorder using positron emission tomography.
- To compare brain activity between manic and euthymic states in bipolar disorder patients.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-sensitivity H(2)(15)O positron emission tomography (PET).
- Compared brain activity in patients experiencing mania versus euthymia.
Main Results:
- Significantly increased brain activity was observed in the left dorsal anterior cingulate during manic states.
- Increased activity was also noted in the left head of the caudate nucleus in mania.
Conclusions:
- The manic state of bipolar disorder is associated with heightened activity in a specific frontal cortical-subcortical neural system.
- This system includes the anterior cingulate cortex and the caudate nucleus.
- These findings contribute to understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of mania.
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