Severe anhedonia among adolescents with bipolar disorder is common and associated with increased psychiatric symptom burden.

Background: Anhedonia, a deficit in the ability to experience pleasure, is a cardinal symptom of major depressive episodes. In contrast to adolescent major depressive disorder, there is limited research examining anhedonia in the context of depression among adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD). We therefore examined clinical characteristics of anhedonia in a large sample of adolescents with BD.

Neurostructural phenotypes of CACNA1C rs1006737 in adolescents with bipolar disorder and healthy controls.

Objective: Investigate the effects of CACNA1C rs1006737 on cortical and subcortical neurostructural phenotypes in Caucasian bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy control (HC) adolescents.

Methods: Seventy-one adolescents (14-20 years; 38BD, 33HC) underwent 3-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Region of interest (ROI) and vertex-wise analyses examined cortical volume, surface area (SA), and thickness, as well as subcortical volume.

Links Between Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders and Cardiovascular Risk.

This narrative review, with an emphasis on children and adolescents, addresses the link between 5 psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular risk: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, and bipolar disorders. The evidence regarding cardiovascular risk factors, noninvasive measures of early atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease prevalence and/or mortality is summarized. Whereas multiple studies have examined stimulant treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in relation to cardiovascular death, and autonomic-vagal function in autism spectrum disorders, little is known regarding atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in patients with these conditions.

Clinical correlates of socioeconomic status in adolescent bipolar disorder.

Background: Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with symptomatic severity, comorbidity, and functional impairment in adults with bipolar disorder (BD). Little is known about clinical correlates of SES in adolescents with BD.

Methods: Participants included 195 adolescents, 13-20 years old, with BD type I, II or not otherwise specified (NOS).

Preliminary study of structural magnetic resonance imaging phenotypes related to genetic variation in Interleukin-1β rs16944 in adolescents with Bipolar Disorder.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD), among the most heritable psychiatric conditions, is associated with increased pro-inflammatory blood markers and pro-inflammatory gene expression in post-mortem brain. We therefore examined the effects of pro-inflammatory single nucleotide polymorphism interleukin-1β (IL-1β) rs16944 on brain structure in adolescents with BD and healthy control (HC) adolescents.

Methods: T-weighted 3-T magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired for 38 adolescents with BD and 32 HC adolescents (14-20 years).

Proof-of-concept study of a multi-gene risk score in adolescent bipolar disorder.

Background: Few studies have examined multiple genetic variants concurrently for the purpose of classifying bipolar disorder (BD); the literature among youth is particularly sparse. We selected 35 genetic variants, previously implicated in BD or associated characteristics, from which to identify the most robustly predictive group of genes.

Methods: 215 Caucasian adolescents (114 BD and 101 healthy controls (HC), ages 13-20 years) were included.

Cerebral blood flow in bipolar disorder: A systematic review.

Background: Neuroimaging of cerebral blood flow (CBF) can inform our understanding of the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD) as there is increasing support for the concept that BD is in part a vascular disease. Despite numerous studies examining CBF in BD, there has not yet been a review of the literature on the topic of CBF in BD.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature on CBF in BD was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA).

Magnetic resonance imaging of cerebrovascular reactivity in healthy adolescents.

Background: Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), an important measure of cerebrovascular health in adults, has not been examined in healthy adolescents. Beyond the direct importance of understanding CVR in healthy youth, studies on this topic can yield insights regarding brain disease. We set out to evaluate 3 different CVR modelling approaches.

Bipolar Disorder and the Vascular System: Mechanisms and New Prevention Opportunities.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with excessive prevalence and premature onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This association is observed internationally in clinical as well as predominantly untreated epidemiologic samples. A number of factors might explain this association in part, including excessive rates of traditional cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), suboptimal lifestyle behaviour s relating to physical activity, nutrition, and use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, and the use of psychiatric medications with propensity for causing CVRFs.

Cerebrovascular reactivity measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging during breath-hold challenge: A systematic review.

Unlabelled: Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) is the cerebral hemodynamic response to a vasoactive substance. Breath-hold (BH) induced CVR has the advantage of being non-invasive and easy to implement during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We systematically reviewed the literature regarding MRI measurement of BH induced CVR.

Retinal photography: A window into the cardiovascular-brain link in adolescent bipolar disorder.

Objective: The burden of cardiovascular disease in bipolar disorder (BD) exceeds what can be explained by traditional cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), lifestyle, and/or medications. Moreover, neurocognitive deficits are a core feature of BD, and are also related to CVRFs. We examined retinal vascular photography, a proxy for cerebral microvasculature, in relation to CVRFs, peripheral microvascular function, and neurocognition among BD adolescents.

Correlates of Overweight and Obesity Among Adolescents With Bipolar Disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A).

Objective: Despite substantial evidence on the prevalence and correlates of overweight and obesity (OW/OB) in adults with bipolar disorder (BD), little is known about this topic in adolescents with BD.

Method: The method consisted of the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement, a face-to-face survey of mental disorders from 2001 through 2004, using a modified version of the fully structured World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Participants were adolescents 13 to 17 years of age, with bipolar disorder I or II (n = 295), major depressive disorder (n = 1,112), or controls with neither mood disorder (n = 8,716).

Neurocognition and psychosocial functioning in adolescents with bipolar disorder.

Background: Adults with bipolar disorder demonstrate significantly poorer psychosocial functioning and neurocognition compared to controls. In adult bipolar disorder neurocognition predicts a substantial portion of variance in functioning. Adolescents with bipolar disorder have reducedpsychosocial functioning, but less is known about neurocognitive impairments, and no studies have examined the relationship between neurocognition and functioning in an adolescent sample.

Impulsivity is associated with blood pressure and waist circumference among adolescents with bipolar disorder.

Objective: Cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and impulsivity are common in bipolar disorder (BD), and CVRFs are also linked with impulsivity through a number of mechanisms, both behavioral and biological. This study examines the association between CVRFs and impulsivity in adolescents with BD.

Methods: Subjects were 34 adolescents with BD and 35 healthy control (HC) adolescents.

CACNA1C rs1006737 genotype and bipolar disorder: Focus on intermediate phenotypes and cardiovascular comorbidity.

Recently, multiple genome-wide association studies have identified a genetic polymorphism (CACNA1C rs1006737) that appears to confer susceptibility for BD. This article aims to summarize the existing literature regarding the impact of rs1006737 on functional and structural neuroimaging intermediate phenotypes. Twenty eight articles, representing 2486 healthy participants, 369 patients with BD and 104 healthy first-degree relatives of patients with BD, are incorporated.

Cardiovascular and psychiatric characteristics associated with oxidative stress markers among adolescents with bipolar disorder.

Introduction: In the field of bipolar disorder (BD) research there is an absence of validated biomarkers and limited understanding of the biology underlying excessive and premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). Oxidative stress is a potential biomarker in both BD and CVD.

Objective: To examine psychiatric and cardiovascular characteristics associated with peripheral oxidative stress markers among adolescents with BD, who are at high risk for CVD.

Oxidative stress and cognition amongst adults without dementia or stroke: Implications for mechanistic and therapeutic research in psychiatric disorders.

Oxidative stress has been implicated in cognitive deficits in disease states such as dementia and stroke. However, growing evidence shows similar associations in individuals without these conditions. We therefore set out to systematically review the literature on this topic.

Significance of borderline personality-spectrum symptoms among adolescents with bipolar disorder.

Background: Little is known regarding correlates of borderline personality-spectrum symptoms (BPSS) among adolescents with bipolar disorder (BP).

Methods: Participants were 90 adolescents, 13-19 years of age, who fulfilled DSM-IV-TR criteria for BP using semi-structured diagnostic interviews. BPSS status was ascertained using the Life Problems Inventory which assessed identity confusion, interpersonal problems, impulsivity, and emotional lability.

Correlates of psychiatric hospitalization in a clinical sample of Canadian adolescents with bipolar disorder.

Objective: To identify factors associated with psychiatric hospitalization among adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD).

Methods: Participants were 100 adolescents, ages 13-19, who fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for bipolar I disorder [(BD-I), n=26], bipolar II disorder [(BD-II), n=40], or operationalized criteria for BD not otherwise specified [(BD-NOS), n=34], via the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Present and Lifetime version (KSADS-PL). Demographic, clinical, and family history variables were measured via clinical interview with the participant and a parent or guardian.

Predictors of first-onset substance use disorders during the prospective course of bipolar spectrum disorders in adolescents.

Objective: Substance use disorders (SUD) are common and problematic in bipolar disorder (BP). We prospectively examined predictors of first-onset SUD among adolescents with BP.

Method: Adolescents (12-17 years old; N = 167) in the Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth (COBY) study fulfilling criteria for BP-I, BP-II, or operationalized BP not otherwise specified, without SUD at intake, were included.