Description
Over the past two decades, driven by the enormous public health importance of bipolar
disorder, research initiatives have begun to elucidate the pathophysiology of this
prevalent and debilitating condition. These research initiatives have led to breakthroughs
in our understanding of causation, and now promise to foster the development of novel
treatments. This new edition presents contributions from the leaders at the forefront
of these areas of research, and includes chapters on the groundbreaking advances in the fields of genetics, neuroimaging,
neuropsychopharmacology, oxidative stress and neuronal resilience, inflammatory mechanisms, psychosocial factors, childhood onset
and late-life bipolar disorder, and many other important areas. Throughout, the therapeutic implications and potential of this new
understanding are emphasized. This will be essential reading for those interested in the neurobiology of mental illness, and will be of
interest to mental health practitioners more generally.
Key Features
Presents contributions from the leaders at the forefront of areas of research into the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder
Includes chapters on groundbreaking advances in the fields of genetics, neuroimaging, neuropsychopharmacology, oxidative stress
and neuronal resilience, inflammatory mechanisms, psychosocial factors, childhood onset and late-life bipolar disorder, and several
other areas
Emphasizes the therapeutic implications and potential of this new understanding
Contents
List of contributors;
Preface;
1. The classification of bipolar disorders: implications
for clinical research;
2. Prospects for the development of animal models
for the study of bipolar disorder;
3. Abnormalities in catecholamines and the
pathophysiology of bipolar disorder;
4. Serotonergic dysfunction in bipolar disorder;
5. Involvement of GABAergic/glutamatergic
pathways in mood disorders;
6. Oxidative stress and neuronal resilience:
implications for the pathophysiology of bipolar
disorders;
7. Post-mortem studies in bipolar disorder;
8. The neuroendocrinology of stress in the
pathophysiology of bipolar disorders;
9. Brain imaging abnormalities in bipolar disorder;
10. Sleep and circadian rhythms in bipolar
disorders;
11. Infectious agents: role in causation of bipolar
disorders?;
12. EEGs and ERPs in bipolar disorders;
13. Genetic factors in the etiology of bipolar
disorder;
14. Neurocognitive findings in bipolar disorder;
15. Psychotherapeutic interventions in bipolar
disorder;
16. The kindling/sensitization model and the
pathophysiology of bipolar disorder;
17. Biological factors in bipolar disorder in childhood
and adolescence;
18. Biological factors in bipolar disorder in late life;
19. Perspectives for new pharmacological
interventions;
20. Physical health and metabolic dysfunction in
bipolar disorder;
21. Immune dysregulation in bipolar disorder;
Index.