Striatal dysfunction during failed motor inhibition in children at risk for bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND

A better understanding of the neural underpinnings of bipolar disorder (BD) can be obtained by examining brain activity in symptom-free individuals at risk for BD. This study examined the neural correlates of motor inhibition in a sample of symptom-free youths at familial risk for BD.

METHODS

19 euthymic youths with BD, 13 asymptomatic youths with a first-degree relative with BD, and 21 healthy comparison children completed the stop signal task in a 3 T scanner.

RESULTS

Children at familial risk for BD exhibited increased putamen activation during unsuccessful inhibition that distinguished them from both healthy and BD children. Youths with BD exhibited reduced activation of the right nucleus accumbens during unsuccessful inhibition as compared to the other participant groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Striatal activation patterns differ between youths at risk for BD and healthy comparison children during a motor inhibition task.