Increased amygdala activation during mania: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.
OBJECTIVE
This study sought to investigate neural activity in the amygdala during episodes of mania.


METHODS
Nine manic subjects and nine healthy comparison subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a neuropsychological paradigm known to activate the amygdala. Subjects viewed faces displaying affect (experimental task) and geometric forms (control task) and matched them to one of two simultaneously presented similar images.


RESULTS
Manic subjects had significantly increased activation in the left amygdala and reduced bilateral activation in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex relative to the comparison subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Increased activation in the amygdala and decreased activation in the orbitofrontal cortex may represent disruption of a specific neuroanatomic circuit involved in mania. These brain regions may be implicated in disorders involving regulation of affect.
Altshuler
Lori
L
UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7057, USA. laltshuler@mednet.ucla.edu
Bookheimer
Susan
S
Proenza
Manuel A
MA
Townsend
Jennifer
J
Sabb
Fred
F
Firestine
Ann
A
Bartzokis
George
G
Mintz
Jim
J
Mazziotta
John
J
Cohen
Mark S
MS
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology