The goal of this proposal is to assess abnormalities in brain structure and function in patients diagnosed with type I bipolar disorder (history of manic episode) who are currently euthymic. Patients and healthy volunteers will undergo structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Functional imaging will take place during the performance of a neuropsychological task known to activate ventral prefrontal cortex and amygdala, known components of the emotion regulatory system. Advanced surface based processing algorithms will be used on high resolution structural images to measure gray matter thickness in frontal cortex and other brain regions. A correlation analysis will then be used to assess, at every point along the cortex, the relationship between cortical thickness and fMR signal intensity. Because ventral frontal regions of cortex send direct inhibitory projections to the amygdala, the relationship between ventral prefrontal cortical thinning and the response level of the amygdala will also be examined. These studies represent the first attempt at characterizing the thickness of the frontal cortex in bipolar disorder and how structural abnormalities in this region impact functioning of fronto-limbic mood regulatory circuits. Results from the proposed experiments will help to advance our understanding of the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder and identify phenotypic brain abnormalities that predispose an individual to extreme liabilities in mood. Future studies that examine the emergence and progression of these brain abnormalities and the associated impact of medications and treatments will serve to have profound prognostic consequences for patients.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
Project #
5F31MH078556-03
Application #
7575152
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-F01-N (20))
Program Officer
Rubio, Mercedes
Project Start
2007-03-01
Project End
2009-06-30
Budget Start
2009-03-01
Budget End
2009-06-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$11,998
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Los Angeles
Department
Neurology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
092530369
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90095
Townsend, Jennifer D; Sugar, Catherine A; Walshaw, Patricia D et al. (2013) Frontostriatal neuroimaging findings differ in patients with bipolar disorder who have or do not have ADHD comorbidity. J Affect Disord 147:389-96
Foland-Ross, Lara C; Thompson, Paul M; Sugar, Catherine A et al. (2013) Three-dimensional mapping of hippocampal and amygdalar structure in euthymic adults with bipolar disorder not treated with lithium. Psychiatry Res 211:195-201
Barysheva, Marina; Jahanshad, Neda; Foland-Ross, Lara et al. (2013) White matter microstructural abnormalities in bipolar disorder: A whole brain diffusion tensor imaging study. Neuroimage Clin 2:558-68
Townsend, Jennifer D; Bookheimer, Susan Y; Foland-Ross, Lara C et al. (2012) Deficits in inferior frontal cortex activation in euthymic bipolar disorder patients during a response inhibition task. Bipolar Disord 14:442-50
Foland-Ross, Lara C; Bookheimer, Susan Y; Lieberman, Matthew D et al. (2012) Normal amygdala activation but deficient ventrolateral prefrontal activation in adults with bipolar disorder during euthymia. Neuroimage 59:738-44
Hegarty, Catherine E; Foland-Ross, Lara C; Narr, Katherine L et al. (2012) ADHD comorbidity can matter when assessing cortical thickness abnormalities in patients with bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord 14:843-55
Foland-Ross, Lara C; Brooks 3rd, John O; Mintz, Jim et al. (2012) Mood-state effects on amygdala volume in bipolar disorder. J Affect Disord 139:298-301
Hegarty, Catherine E; Foland-Ross, Lara C; Narr, Katherine L et al. (2012) Anterior cingulate activation relates to local cortical thickness. Neuroreport 23:420-4
Brooks 3rd, John O; Foland-Ross, Lara C; Thompson, Paul M et al. (2011) Preliminary evidence of within-subject changes in gray matter density associated with remission of bipolar depression. Psychiatry Res 193:53-5
Foland-Ross, Lara C; Thompson, Paul M; Sugar, Catherine A et al. (2011) Investigation of cortical thickness abnormalities in lithium-free adults with bipolar I disorder using cortical pattern matching. Am J Psychiatry 168:530-9

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