A longitudinal functional connectivity analysis of the amygdala in bipolar I disorder across mood states.

Objective: Bipolar I disorder is characterized by affective symptoms varying between depression and mania. The specific neurophysiology responsible for depression in bipolar I disorder is unknown but previous neuroimaging studies suggest impairments in corticolimbic regions that are responsible for regulating emotion. The amygdala seems to play a central role in this network and is responsible for appraisal of emotional stimuli.