Friday, May 1, 2015

Bipolar Disorder, from highs to lows

Kiren Ali
April 30, 2014
NEUR 300
Bipolar Disorder, from highs to lows
            Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder that is characterized by periods of depression or elevated highs. Around three percent of the US population is affected by this disorder and it is an important issue to discuss because BPD can affect the human body in many ways, especially the brain. Both Dr. Weisenbach’s study and the study from Bradley Hospital study the effects that BPD can have on the brain. Dr. Weisenbach’s research showed that BPD over time can reduce cognitive abilities. The 2014 study from Bradley Hospital found that children with bipolar disorder have a greater activation of the right amygdala than their healthy counterparts. The implications of this research are numerous and can help us understand much more in the field of neuroscience.
            Dr. Wegbreit, the author of the Bradley Hospital study, was in charge of the experiments. They had a sample size of over 1,000 individuals with a total of 100 functional magnetic resonance imaging tests (fMRI). They performed a meta-analysis on these tests to determine the effect that BPD has on the brain. Results from this analysis showed that there was a high level of activation in the right side of the brain, specifically in the amygdala. The amygdala is the portion of the brain that controls emotions such as fear. This tells us a lot, considering that BPD involves periods of mania, it makes sense that the area in charge of fear can become overactive at times. The meta-analysis also showed a significant reduction in activation of the anterior cingulate cortex of individuals.
            Although Dr. Weisenbach did not study specific areas of the brain and activation, she was able to shine light on an important topic of discussion. Basically, her research found that BPD can cause a significant reduction in cognitive skills. This is a problem because people with BPD will have their memory and thinking skills deteriorate over time. We can learn from her research that it is important to maintain healthy choices to prevent further damages to cognition skills and such.

            I believe the Dr. Wegbreit’s study can be expanded to study other disorders besides BPD. We can learn a lot about the brain and the neuroscience behind many disorders by studying different tests and scans of brains of people who are affected. I would like to propose a study where not only fMRI of the brain is taken, but PET and CAT scans are taken as well to show all kinds of areas of the brains and many different degrees of activation. From these other scans we can learn more about how BPD affects people, rather than just areas of high activation. We can study which areas of the brain tend to be enlarged, smaller, deformed, etc.
            The implications for both of these research studies are plentiful and extremely impactful. We can use this information to diagnose many different kinds of disorders. We can use information from Dr. Weisenbach’s study to diagnose BPD by testing for a reduction in cognitive skills. Healthcare can be changed by this new information. We will be able to impact the way we diagnose and treat neurological disorders. I personally believe that this will be available to us in the near future. I hope to see both of these studies expand to cover more in the area of neuroscience.














References
Lifespan. (2014, June 18). Difference found in way bipolar disorder affects brains of children       versus adults. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 1, 2015 from             www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140618165113.htm

Weisenbach, S. L., Marshall, D., Weldon, A. L., Ryan, K. A., Vederman, A. C., Kamali, M.,         Zubieta, J., McInnis, M. G., & Langenecker, S. A. (2014). The double burden of age and             disease on cognition and quality of life in bipolar disorder. International Journal of  Geriatric Psychiatry. 29(1), 952-961.          https://luc.app.box.com/s/4c031c26bsh2bj3619si/1/2926649189/24809638293/1



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