Genetics of emotional reactivity in bipolar disorders.

Background: Emotional reactivity has been proposed as a relevant intermediate phenotype of bipolar disorder (BD). Our goal was to identify genetic factors underlying emotional reactivity in a sample of bipolar patients.

Methods: Affect intensity (a proxy measure of emotional reactivity) was measured in a sample of 281 euthymic patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for BD.

Cytomegalovirus seropositivity and serointensity are associated with hippocampal volume and verbal memory in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Introduction: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a member of the herpesviridae family that has a limbic and temporal gray matter tropism. It is usually latent in humans but has been associated with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and cognitive deficits in some populations. Hippocampal decreased volume and dysfunction play a critical role in these cognitive deficits.