Controlled Study of Metabolic Syndrome Among Offspring of Parents With Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is highly heritable and associated with increased rates of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, little is known about MetS in offspring of parents with BD. We therefore examined this topic in the Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study cohort.

Pilot study of circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA in relation to brain structure in youth bipolar disorder.

Background: Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in the neuropathology of bipolar disorder (BD). Higher circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA (ccf-mtDNA), generally reflecting poorer mitochondrial health, has been associated with greater symptoms severity in BD. The current study examines the association of serum ccf-mtDNA and brain structure in relation to youth BD.

Comparing Symptoms of Major Depression in Youth with Confirmed Versus Suspected Bipolar Disorder.

While numerous studies have compared symptoms of major depressive episodes (MDEs) associated with bipolar disorder (BD; i.e., bipolar depression) versus major depressive disorder (MDD; i.

Psychiatric Polygenic Risk Scores Across Youth With Bipolar Disorder, Youth at High Risk for Bipolar Disorder, and Controls.

Objective: There is a pronounced gap in knowledge regarding polygenic underpinnings of youth bipolar disorder (BD). This study aimed to compare polygenic risk scores (PRSs) in youth with BD, youth at high clinical and/or familial risk for BD (HR), and controls.

Method: Participants were 344 youths of European ancestry (13-20 years old), including 136 youths with BD, 121 HR youths, and 87 controls.

Higher Levels of C-reactive Protein Are Associated With Higher Cortical Surface Area and Lower Cortical Thickness in Youth With Bipolar Disorder.

Background: Inflammation is implicated in the neuropathology of bipolar disorder (BD). The association of C-reactive protein (CRP) with brain structure has been examined in relation to BD among adults but not youth.

Methods: Participants included 101 youth (BD, n = 55; control group [CG], n = 46; aged 13-20 years).

White matter microstructural integrity is associated with retinal vascular caliber in adolescents with bipolar disorder.

Objective: Reduced white matter integrity is observed in bipolar disorder (BD), and is associated with cardiovascular risk in adults. This topic is underexplored in youth, and in BD, where novel microvascular measures may help to inform understanding of the vascular-brain connection. We therefore examined the association of retinal vascular caliber with white matter integrity in a cross-sectional sample of adolescents with and without BD.

Association of polygenic risk for bipolar disorder with resting-state network functional connectivity in youth with and without bipolar disorder.

Little is known regarding the polygenic underpinnings of anomalous resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in youth bipolar disorder (BD). The current study examined the association of polygenic risk for BD (BD-PRS) with whole-brain rsFC at the large-scale network level in youth with and without BD. 99 youth of European ancestry (56 BD, 43 healthy controls [HC]), ages 13-20 years, completed resting-state fMRI scans.

Classifying youth with bipolar disorder versus healthy youth using cerebral blood flow patterns.

Background: Clinical neuroimaging studies often investigate group differences between patients and controls, yet multivariate imaging features may enable individual-level classification. This study aims to classify youth with bipolar disorder (BD) versus healthy youth using grey matter cerebral blood flow (CBF) data analyzed with logistic regressions.

Methods: Using a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, we collected pseudo-continuous, arterial spin-labelling, resting-state functional MRI (rfMRI) and -weighted images from youth with BD and healthy controls.

Association of cannabis use with neurocognition in adolescents with bipolar disorder.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) and cannabis use are each associated with neurocognitive deficits in adolescents. However, little is known regarding the association of neurocognition with cannabis use among adolescents with BD. Therefore, we examined this topic in a sample of adolescents with BD and healthy control (HC) adolescents.

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Polymorphism rs699947 Is Associated with Neurostructural Phenotypes in Youth with Bipolar Disorder.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may be relevant to bipolar disorder (BD) and brain structure. We evaluated rs699947 single-nucleotide polymorphism in relation to structural neuroimaging phenotypes in youth BD. We collected 3 T anatomical magnetic resonance images from 154 youth (79 BD and 75 healthy control [HC]) genotyped for rs699947.

The association of CNR1 genetic variants with resting-state functional connectivity in youth bipolar disorder.

Cannabinoid 1 receptors coded by the CNR1 gene are implicated in mood disorders and addiction. Given the prevalence and negative correlates of cannabis use in bipolar disorder (BD), we examined CNR1 polymorphism rs1324072 in relation to resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in youth BD. Participants included 124 youth, ages 13-20 years: 17 BD G-carriers, 48 BD non-carriers, 16 healthy controls (HC) G-carriers, and 43 HC non-carriers.

Neurostructural and neurocognitive correlates of ε4 in youth bipolar disorder.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a clinical risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Apolipoprotein E ε4 ( ε4), a genetic risk factor for AD, has been associated with brain structure and neurocognition in healthy youth.

Aims: We evaluated whether there was an association between ε4 with neurostructure and neurocognition in youth with BD.

A systematic review on the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy for improving mood symptoms in bipolar disorders.

Background: Evidence-based psychotherapies available to treat patients with bipolar disorders (BD) are limited. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) may target several common symptoms of BD. We conducted a systematic review on the efficacy of DBT for mood symptoms in patients with BD.

The association of genetic variation in CACNA1C with resting-state functional connectivity in youth bipolar disorder.

Background: CACNA1C rs1006737 A allele, identified as a genetic risk variant for bipolar disorder (BD), is associated with anomalous functional connectivity in adults with and without BD. Studies have yet to investigate the association of CACNA1C rs1006737 with resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in youth BD.

Methods: Participants included 139 youth with BD-I, -II, or -not otherwise specified, ages 13-20 years, including 27 BD A-carriers, 41 BD non-carriers, 32 healthy controls (HC) A-carriers, and 39 HC non-carriers.

Proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial of single-session nitrous oxide treatment for refractory bipolar depression: Focus on cerebrovascular target engagement.

Background: There remain few efficacious treatments for bipolar depression, which dominates the course of bipolar disorder (BD). Despite multiple studies reporting associations between depression and cerebral blood flow (CBF), little is known regarding CBF as a treatment target, or predictor and/or indicator of treatment response, in BD. Nitrous oxide, an anesthetic gas with vasoactive and putative antidepressant properties, has a long history as a neuroimaging probe.

Neurovascular correlates of retinal microvascular caliber in adolescent bipolar disorder.

Background: The connection between vascular and brain metrics is well-studied in older adults, but neglected in youth and in psychiatric populations at increased cardiovascular risk. We therefore examined the association of retinal vascular caliber with cerebral blood flow (CBF) in adolescents with and without bipolar disorder (BD).

Methods: Ninety-four adolescents (n = 48 BD, n = 46 controls) completed retinal fundus imaging, yielding estimates of arteriolar and venular diameter.

Comorbid Eating Disorders in a Sample of Youth With Bipolar Disorder: Elevated Burden of Dimensional and Categorical Psychopathology.

There is growing recognition of the importance of comorbid eating disorders (ED) among individuals with bipolar disorder (BD). However, most studies on this topic have focused on adult samples, and little is known regarding comorbid ED among youth with BD. The sample included 197 youth with BD (BD-I, BD-II, or BD-NOS [not otherwise specified]), aged 13-20 years and recruited from a subspecialized clinic within a tertiary academic health sciences center from 2009 to 2017.

Cerebral Blood Flow and Core Mood Symptoms in Youth Bipolar Disorder: Evidence for Region-Symptom Specificity.

Objective: Building on prior findings in adults, this study investigated regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in relation to DSM-5 criterion A symptoms of depression and mania in youth with bipolar disorder (BD).

Method: The study recruited 81 youths with BD and 75 healthy controls 13-20 years old. CBF was ascertained using pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging.

Editorial: Embedding Functional Neuroimaging Within Clinical Trials for Mania: Toward Answering the Questions, Who, How, and When?

Neurocognitive deficits are common in bipolar disorder (BD) across the life span, and functional neuroimaging studies have elucidated anomalous neural circuitry underlying these deficits. Nonetheless, the literature regarding changes in neural circuitry in the context of clinical trials in BD remains sparse. In this issue, Li and Lei et al.

Elevated atherogenic lipid profile in youth with bipolar disorder during euthymia and hypomanic/mixed but not depressive states.

Objective: Abnormal blood lipid levels are common in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD). Previous studies have revealed lipid-mood associations in adults with BD, but no data on this relationship is available in youth populations. This cross-sectional study examined the associations of lipid levels with mood states and symptoms in a cohort of youth with BD.