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A preliminary study of the neural mechanisms of frustration in pediatric bipolar disorder using magnetoencephalography
Author(s) -
Rich Brendan A.,
Holroyd Tom,
Carver Frederick W.,
Onelio Laura M.,
Mendoza Jennifer K.,
Cornwell Brian R.,
Fox Nathan A.,
Pine Daniel S.,
Coppola Richard,
Leibenluft Ellen
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
depression and anxiety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.634
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6394
pISSN - 1091-4269
DOI - 10.1002/da.20649
Subject(s) - mental health , anxiety , bipolar disorder , mood , psychology , mood disorders , psychiatry , library science , computer science
Background : Irritability is prevalent and impairing in pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) but has been minimally studied using neuroimaging techniques. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to study theta band oscillations in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during frustration in BD youth. ACC theta power is associated with attention to emotional stimuli, and the ACC may mediate responses to frustrating stimuli. Methods : We used the affective Posner task, an attention paradigm that uses rigged feedback to induce frustration, to compare 20 medicated BD youth (14.9±2.0 years; 45% male) and 20 healthy controls (14.7±1.7 years; 45% male). MEG measured neuronal activity after negative and positive feedback; we also compared groups on reaction time, response accuracy, and self‐reported affect. Patients met strict DSM‐IV BD criteria and were euthymic. Controls had no psychiatric history. Results : BD youth reported more negative affective responses than controls. After negative feedback, BD subjects, relative to controls, displayed greater theta power in the right ACC and bilateral parietal lobe. After positive feedback, BD subjects displayed lower theta power in the left ACC than did controls. Correlations between MEG, behavior, and affect were nonsignificant. Conclusion : In this first MEG study of BD youth, BD youth displayed patterns of theta oscillations in the ACC and parietal lobe in response to frustration‐inducing negative feedback that differed from healthy controls. These data suggest that BD youth may display heightened processing of negative feedback and exaggerated self‐monitoring after frustrating emotional stimuli. Future studies are needed with unmedicated bipolar youth, and comparison ADHD and anxiety groups. Depression and Anxiety, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.