[Actigraphy in Bipolar Disorder and First Degree Relatives]

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Bipolar disorder imposes significant economic burdens.
• Early predictors of bipolar disorder are crucial for intervention.
• Sleep-wake cycle alterations are potential early indicators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review literature on sleep-wake and circadian rhythm disturbances in bipolar disorder.
• To examine these disturbances in first-degree relatives of bipolar patients.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search across major medical and psychological databases.
• Inclusion of articles in English and Spanish, without study type limitations.

Main Results:

• Actigraphy effectively assesses sleep-wake disturbances in bipolar disorder during active and euthymic phases.
• Actigraphy demonstrates high sensitivity but low specificity for sleep detection compared to polysomnography.
• Limited studies on bipolar offspring suggest similar sleep alterations.

Conclusions:

• Actigraphy is a cost-effective, non-invasive, and sensitive screening tool for sleep/wake cycles in bipolar disorder.
• Further longitudinal research is needed to establish actigraphy's role as a risk marker.