Background:
There is a growing interest in the area of child and adolescent bipolar disorder. Researchers and clinicians are not agreed on whether the phenomenology of the disorder in younger populations is the same as in the adult version of the disorder. To better describe the presentation of the disorder in young people, more specific neuropsychological testing and more sensitive imaging parameters are required. We are seeking to clarify what specific neuropsychological and neuroanatomical aspects of the disorder are the same as in adult onset bipolar and which are different.
Methods:
Adults with bipolar disorder were investigated using imaging paradigms sensitive to affective regulation and completed neuropsychological testing. An adolescent sample will also be recruited and complete the same paradigms and neuropsychological battery.
Results:
Preliminary neuroimaging results from adult samples indicate that subcortical structures may be recruited as compensation for a co-occurring lack of signal in the prefrontal cortex. The neuropsychological deficits include difficulties with selective attention, sustained attention and executive functioning.
Conclusions:
These findings are discussed in light of difficulties with diagnostic specificity, comorbidity, heritability and cut offs for age and disorder. Preliminary findings in studies of young people with bipolar disorder suggest they experience similar neuropsychological symptoms to those found in adults; however, the findings from neuroimaging of young people with bipolar disorder are inconsistent. Suggestions for future research directions will be discussed.
