Project Summary

Thilo Deckersbach, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2004) of Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University, hypothesizes that exaggerated amygdala responses during episodes of depression or hypomania/mania in individuals with bipolar disease I interfere with prefrontal cortex functioning necessary for intact attentional functioning. In the proposed study, Dr. Deckersbach aims to activate the amygdala by presenting emotional faces to subjects, and using fMRI will study the interfering effect on a concurrently performed attentional task that relies on dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate (dCG) functioning. Fifteen depressed and non-medicated and 15 hypomanic and non-medicated individuals with bipolar I disorder will be compared with 15 controls. Dr. Deckersbach expects that depressed and hypomanic patients with bipolar I disorder will have exaggerated amygdala responses to emotional faces that will interfere with recruitment of DLPFC/dCG during the attentional task compared with control participants.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Bipolar

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