Project Summary

Melissa P. DelBello, M.D. (Young Investigator 2004) of the University of Cincinnati, plans to use fMRI to identify brain areas implicated in adolescent bipolar disease and in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to better diagnose these conditions, which can co-occur in youngsters. More than half of adolescents with bipolar disorder have ADHD. Because of the high co-occurrence, youths with bipolar disease often are misdiagnosed to have both, and are treated with medications that may exacerbate their symptoms. The study will employ fMRI to measure the pattern of neuronal activation in14 bipolar adolescents without ADHD compared with 14 adolescents with ADHD and without a mood disorder as the subjects perform tasks of attention and impulsivity, features of both conditions. Fourteen healthy volunteers will serve as controls. The results will help clarify the functional neuroanatomy of bipolar disorder, differentiate it from ADHD, and identify subtypes of adolescents with bipolar disease to better identify and treat the disease.

Program Area: MULTIPLE FOCUS AREAS\ADHD/Bipolar Disorder

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