Neuroimaging studies of bipolar disorder in youth

Abstract

Abstract Bipolar disorder is defined by the onset of the first manic episode, which typically occurs in late adolescence or early adulthood. However, it is increasingly recognized that many people with bipolar disorder experience significant premorbid symptoms, prior to an initial disorder-defining onset of mania. Combined with the heritability of bipolar disorder, it is likely that the underlying biological basis of the disorder produces premorbid and early-course neurophysiological abnormalities that might help to identify at-risk cases and herald an early onset and progression of illness course. This chapter will focus on neuroimaging in bipolar disorder in youth, as well as in at-risk individuals (unaffected and subthreshold affected children of parents with bipolar disorder), to inform models of early bipolar development. This edition’s chapter adds more emphasis on at-risk individuals and progression of neurobiological changes at illness onset, as well as the potential implications for early intervention in an effort to interrupt illness progression.