Increased Anterior Cingulate and Caudate Activity in Bipolar Mania

Background

Executive control of cognition, emotion, and behavior are disrupted in the manic state of bipolar disorder. Whereas frontal systems are implicated in such dysfunction, the localization of functional brain abnormal-ities in the manic state is not well understood.

Methods

We utilized a high-sensitivity H₂ ¹⁵0 positron emission tomography technique to investigate regions of increased brain activity in mania, compared to euthymia, in bipolar disorder.

Results

The principal findings were manic state-related increased activity in left dorsal anterior cingulate, and left head of caudate.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that the manic state of bipolar disorder may be associated with heightened activity in a frontal cortical-subcortical neural system that includes the anterior cingulate and caudate. Biol Psychiatry 2000;48:1045–1052 © 2000 Society of Biological Psychiatry