White Matter Abnormalities in Bipolar Adolescents

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请的小额赠款（R 03）是从一个独立的研究者，谁希望扩大（但不改变）她的调查领域，包括双相情感障碍青少年的神经影像学。申请人是一项正在进行的NIMH资助的双相青少年对照纵向治疗研究“早发性双相障碍的治疗和结局”（1 R 01 MH 60845）的主要研究者。在北岸-长岛犹太卫生系统，有经验的神经影像学研究者为PI在该人群中进行神经影像学研究提供了充分的支持。神经影像学研究表明，双相情感障碍的神经生物学中存在白色病变，表现为高信号和功能异常。在这项初步研究中，我们建议使用扩散张量成像（DTI）来表征可能的异常，在白色物质连接腹侧脑区，已被假设发挥关键作用的情感不稳定与双相情感障碍。研究参与者将包括30名患有双相I型障碍的青少年和30名年龄、性别和智商匹配的健康志愿者。涉及该年龄组的双相情感障碍病理生理学研究将包括更多的治疗持续时间较短的首次发作患者。PI正在进行的由NIMH资助的双相青少年纵向治疗研究将促进本拟定研究的招募。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application for a Small Grant (R03) is from an independent investigator, who wishes to expand (but not change) her area of investigation to include neuroimaging of adolescents with bipolar disorder. The applicant is the principal investigator of an ongoing NIMH funded controlled longitudinal treatment study with bipolar adolescents "Treatment and Outcome of Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder" (1R01MH60845). There is ample support available to the PI to undertake neuroimaging studies in this population from experienced neuroimaging investigators at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. Neuroimaging studies have implicated white matter pathology in the neurobiology of bipolar disorder in the form of hyperintensities and functional abnormalities. In this pilot study we propose to use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to characterize possible abnormalities in the white matter connecting ventral brain regions that have been hypothesized to play a key role in the affective instability associated with bipolar disorder. Study participants will include 30 adolescents with Bipolar I disorder and 30 age, gender and IQ-matched healthy volunteers. Studies investigating the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder that involve this age group will include a greater number of first episode patients with a shorter duration of treatment. Recruitment for this proposed study will be facilitated by the PI's ongoing NIMH-funded longitudinal treatment study of bipolar adolescents.