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Updated: May 21, 2026
13:08
Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia
Published on: December 2, 2015
Emotional dysfunction as a marker of bipolar disorders
Chantal Henry1, Mary Phillips, Ellen Leibenluft
1INSERM, U955, IMRB, departement de Genetique, Creteil, F-94000, France. chantal.henry@inserm.fr
Frontiers in Bioscience (Elite Edition)
|June 2, 2012
Summary
Emotional reactivity, rapid responses to environmental events, is crucial for understanding bipolar disorder. Assessing this trait helps refine diagnoses and identify distinct mood episode subtypes.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Neuroscience
- Mood Disorders
Background:
- Emotional reactivity assessment is underutilized in mood disorder research.
- This review highlights its importance in characterizing bipolar disorder episodes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review clinical and research data on emotional reactivity in bipolar disorder.
- To explore its potential for refining diagnostic and pathophysiological classifications.
Main Methods:
- Clinical data review across all bipolar disorder phases (euthymic, manic, mixed, depressive).
- Inclusion of neuroimaging, neurochemical, and genetic studies.
- Analysis of emotional reactivity patterns in patient groups.
Main Results:
- Euthymic bipolar patients exhibit mild hypersensitivity and higher arousability.
- Manic and mixed states show significantly increased emotional reactivity.
- Emotional reactivity may differentiate bipolar depression subtypes (hypo- vs. hyper-reactive).
- Brain imaging can elucidate underlying mechanisms of emotional reactivity disturbances.
Conclusions:
- Emotional reactivity offers a valuable tool for classifying homogeneous pathophysiological subtypes of mood episodes.
- Future research should link biomarkers and treatment responses to these clinical phenotypes.
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