OBJECTIVE: Few studies have examined the neurochemical abnormalities that might be associated with pediatric bipolar disorder. The aim of this study was to use magnetic resonance spectroscopy to evaluate several brain regions implicated in bipolar disorder in children with a mood disorder and a familial risk for bipolar disorder. We hypothesized that these children would exhibit neurochemical differences compared with healthy children of parents without a psychiatric disorder. ...

OBJECTIVES: To compare demographic and clinical characteristics between bipolar adolescents with and without a history of stimulant treatment, we hypothesized that adolescents treated with stimulants would have an earlier age at onset of bipolar disorder, independent of co-occurring attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

METHOD: Thirty-four adolescents hospitalized with mania were assessed using the Washington University at St Louis Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of quetiapine and divalproex for the treatment of impulsivity and reactive aggression in adolescents with co-occurring bipolar disorder and disruptive behavior disorders.

METHOD: Patients were included in this post hoc analysis if they scored > or = 14 on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Excited Component (EC) and > or = 4 on at least one of the PANSS EC items, had a current diagnosis of bipolar ...

CONTEXT: Alcohol-use disorders are common co-occurring conditions affecting bipolar patients, and this co-occurrence is negatively associated with outcome.

OBJECTIVE: The primary goal of this study was to identify how the relative onsets of alcohol-use and bipolar disorders affect the subsequent courses of illness in patients with both conditions.

DESIGN AND SETTING: Inception cohort at an academic medical center.

PATIENTS: Patients meeting criteria for type I bipolar disorder, manic or ...

The relationship between clinically effective antipsychotic drug dosage and binding affinity to cloned dopamine (DA) and serotonin receptor subtypes was analyzed in an effort to elucidate the contribution of individual receptor subtypes to medication response. Clinically effective dose and binding affinity to D2 DA receptor were modestly correlated for typical antipsychotic medications (r=0.54, p=0.046), but surprisingly were not correlated for atypical antipsychotics (r=0.41, p=0.31). ...

OBJECTIVES: Few studies have examined the abnormalities that underlie the neuroanatomy of bipolar disorder in youth. The aim of this study was to evaluate brain regions that are thought to modulate mood utilizing quantitative analyses of thin-slice magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of adolescents with bipolar disorder. We hypothesized that adolescents with bipolar disorder would exhibit abnormalities in brain regions that are involved in the regulation of mood including the ...

OBJECTIVES: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study examined the efficacy and tolerability of quetiapine in combination with divalproex (DVP) for acute mania in adolescents with bipolar disorder. It was hypothesized that DVP in combination with quetiapine would be more effective than DVP alone for treating mania associated with adolescent bipolar disorder. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that quetiapine would be well tolerated.

METHOD: Thirty manic or mixed bipolar I ...

AIM: Mood disorders are associated with low levels of the long-chain omega-3 (LCn-3) fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This study investigated LCn-3 fatty acid biostatus in youth with or at varying risk for developing mania to assess its utility as a prodromal risk biomarker.

METHOD: Erythrocyte fatty acid composition was determined in healthy adolescents (n = 28, HC), asymptomatic adolescents with a biological parent with bipolar I disorder (n = 30; ...

BACKGROUND: Dysfunction of neural systems responsible for the processing of emotional stimuli is hypothesized to be involved in the pathophysiology of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adolescents. We used standard fMRI and functional connectivity analyses to examine the functional neurocircuitry of GAD in adolescents.

METHODS: Ten adolescents with GAD and 10 healthy comparison subjects underwent fMRI while performing a continuous performance task with emotional and neutral ...

OBJECTIVE: Bipolar I disorder is characterized by affective symptoms varying between depression and mania. The specific neurophysiology responsible for depression in bipolar I disorder is unknown but previous neuroimaging studies suggest impairments in corticolimbic regions that are responsible for regulating emotion. The amygdala seems to play a central role in this network and is responsible for appraisal of emotional stimuli. To further understand the role of the amygdala in the ...

Behavioral sensitization is a progressive, enduring enhancement of behaviors that develops following repeated stimulant administration. It is mediated in part by dopaminergic pathways that also modulate a number of psychiatric conditions including the development of psychosis. We propose that down-regulation of D3 dopamine receptor function in critical brain regions contributes to sensitization. Rodent locomotion, a sensitizable behavior, is regulated by the opposing influence of ...

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder is characterized by disturbed mood homeostasis accompanied by cognitive impairments that appear to persist during euthymia. Cognitive probes, coupled with neuroimaging, provide an approach toward clarifying the neurophysiology of bipolar disorder.

METHOD: Sixteen patients with euthymic bipolar disorder and 16 healthy subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a counting Stroop interference task and a control condition. ...

OBJECTIVE: Since improved prediction of illness course early in bipolar disorder is required to guide treatment planning, the authors evaluated recovery, first recurrence, and new illness onset following first hospitalization for mania.

METHOD: Bipolar disorder patients (N=166) were followed 2-4 years after their first hospitalization for a manic or mixed episode to assess timing and predictors of outcomes. Three aspects of recovery were measured: syndromal (DSM-IV criteria for disorder ...

BACKGROUND: Co-occurring substance use disorders, mostly involving alcohol, cannabis or cocaine, occur commonly in patients with schizophrenia and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Available but limited data suggest that substance use disorders (especially cannabis use disorders) may also be common in first-episode patients and appear linked to a poor outcome in these patients. Strategies to curtail substance use form an important dimension of the treatment program ...

BACKGROUND: We examined relationships among positive, negative, and depressive symptoms in schizophrenia and major depression with psychosis.

METHOD: Patients with schizophrenia (n = 17) and major depression and psychotic features (n = 25), with no prior psychopharmacologic treatment were assessed on scales measuring positive psychotic, negative, and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS: Analyses revealed the depressive symptoms positively correlated with anhedonia/asociality and ...