Bipolar Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bipolar, including details on bipolar disorder, symptoms, treatment, depression, medication.

A growth in bipolar disorder?

Xu J, Rasmussen IA, Berntsen EM, Moss K, Shnier R, Lagopoulos J, Malhi GS

Department of Circulation and Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

OBJECTIVE: This case report suggests that screening of patients with psychiatric symptoms using modern neuroimaging can help identify organic causes of mental illness. METHOD: A single case study was reported. RESULTS: We report the case of a 25-year-old woman with a recent diagnosis of bipolar II disorder having an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan as part of a research project that reveals an intraventricular brain tumour. The latter is most likely the cause of her irritability and 'hypomanic' symptoms and is defined anatomically using diffusion tensor imaging and structural and functional imaging using MRI and positron emission tomography. CONCLUSION: The lesion in this individual case most probably produces mood symptoms by impinging upon the fornix, a component of the limbic system. However, more generally, the increase in diagnosis of bipolar disorder has to be tempered against alternate causes of similar symptoms and necessitates vigilance of potential organic mechanisms.

Published 16 February 2007 in Acta Psychiatr Scand, 115(3): 246-50; discussion 250.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Bipolar Research Today. All Rights Reserved.