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Bipolar Drugs May Cause Teens to Misread Facial Expressions, study finds CBC News \|\| June 02, 2006 Related - Drugs companies 'inventing diseases to boost their profits' Teens with bipolar disorder are more likely to misread neutral facial expressions as hostile, a brain scanning study shows. "Our results suggest that children with bipolar disorder see emotion where other people don't," said Ellen Leibenluft of the National Institute of Mental Health in Maryland. Also called manic depression, bipolar disorder is a condition in which sufferers swing between frenzied "highs" and serious depression. It is one of most common psychiatric disorders diagnosed in children, affecting up to one per cent. This new study also suggests the disorder likely stems from impaired brain circuits, as thought to be the case with schizophrenia, Leibenluft added in a release. The amygdala, a centre in the brain that processes fear, tends to be smaller in young people with bipolar disorder. But researchers didn't know if the smaller size impaired function. Leibenluft and her colleagues used functional magnetic resonance imaging technology (a form of MRIs) to examine the brain activity of 22 teens with bipolar disorder and an average age of 14. They were compared with 21 non-bipolar young people of comparable age, gender and IQ. Article Posted at www.KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com All participants reacted the same way to images of happy and fearful faces, and when asked to make non-emotional assessments, such as the width of a nose. But more bipolar patients misinterpreted neutral faces as hostile, and their amygdalas lit up more than those in the control group. Other parts of the brain involved in regulating emotion, such as the nucleus accumbens, putamen, and left prefrontal cortex, were also hyperactive among the bipolar teens, the study found. Difficulties processing facial expressions could account for the poor social skills, aggression and irritability often seen in children with the disorder, the study's authors said. But they also noted that medication taken by participants with bipolar disorder could be causing the effect. The study appears in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Weekly Features Archive
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Bipolar Drugs May Cause Teens to Misread Facial Expressions, study finds

CBC News || June 02, 2006

Related - Drugs companies 'inventing diseases to boost their profits'

Teens with bipolar disorder are more likely to misread neutral facial expressions as hostile, a brain scanning study shows.

"Our results suggest that children with bipolar disorder see emotion where other people don't," said Ellen Leibenluft of the National Institute of Mental Health in Maryland.

Also called manic depression, bipolar disorder is a condition in which sufferers swing between frenzied "highs" and serious depression. It is one of most common psychiatric disorders diagnosed in children, affecting up to one per cent.

This new study also suggests the disorder likely stems from impaired brain circuits, as thought to be the case with schizophrenia, Leibenluft added in a release.

The amygdala, a centre in the brain that processes fear, tends to be smaller in young people with bipolar disorder.

But researchers didn't know if the smaller size impaired function.

Leibenluft and her colleagues used functional magnetic resonance imaging technology (a form of MRIs) to examine the brain activity of 22 teens with bipolar disorder and an average age of 14. They were compared with 21 non-bipolar young people of comparable age, gender and IQ.

Article Posted at www.KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com

All participants reacted the same way to images of happy and fearful faces, and when asked to make non-emotional assessments, such as the width of a nose.

But more bipolar patients misinterpreted neutral faces as hostile, and their amygdalas lit up more than those in the control group.

Other parts of the brain involved in regulating emotion, such as the nucleus accumbens, putamen, and left prefrontal cortex, were also hyperactive among the bipolar teens, the study found.

Difficulties processing facial expressions could account for the poor social skills, aggression and irritability often seen in children with the disorder, the study's authors said.

But they also noted that medication taken by participants with bipolar disorder could be causing the effect.

The study appears in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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