Neural Correlates of Semantic Inhibition in Relation to Hypomanic Traits: An fMRI Study

Language modifications are a core feature of mania, but little is known about the semantic mechanisms behind these disturbances. The aim of the present study was thus to identify deficits in semantic inhibition and their respective neural activation patterns in a sample of individuals assessed for hypomanic personality traits.

Thirty-six young adults with no neurological or psychiatric diagnoses were assessed for hypomanic personality traits with the Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS) and underwent an fMRI task of semantic ambiguity resolution.

Regression analyses revealed a positive association between the HPS score and activity in the left superior frontal gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule, and anterior cingulate gyrus during semantic ambiguity resolution.

We found a link between HPS scores and brain areas that are part of the cognitive control loop and semantic memory network during language processing in a nonclinical sample of individuals. The hyperactivation of these regions may reflect a compensatory neural response in a population with greater vulnerability to BD.