Reward processing in adolescents with bipolar I disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Bipolar disorder (BD) often emerges in adolescence, a period of heightened reward sensitivity.
• Adolescents with BD exhibit increased vulnerability to risky behaviors.
• Understanding the neural basis of reward processing in BD is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural correlates of reward processing in adolescents with BD.
• To examine how induced positive mood affects neural responses to reward and loss.
• To compare brain activity in adolescents with and without BD during an affective priming task.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
• Participants included adolescents aged 13-18 with recent-onset BD-I (n=24) and healthy controls (n=24).
• Participants completed an affective priming task involving monetary reward and loss anticipation and response.

Main Results:

• Adolescents with BD displayed faster reaction times compared to controls.
• BD group showed reduced activation in the thalamus and inferior temporal gyrus during gain anticipation after priming.
• BD group exhibited increased activation in the middle frontal gyrus and parietal cortices during loss anticipation, and reduced activation in the inferior parietal lobule, thalamus, and superior frontal gyrus during loss receipt.

Conclusions:

• Aberrant neural activation in prefrontal and subcortical regions during reward processing may underlie impaired self-awareness and motivation in BD.
• These findings highlight potential neural mechanisms contributing to the development and maintenance of BD symptoms.
• Longitudinal research is recommended to determine if these neural patterns predict long-term outcomes in adolescents with BD.