Abstract
Background
Bipolar disorder is associated with dysfunction in prefrontal and limbic areas implicated in emotional processing.
Aims
To explore whether lamotrigine monotherapy may exert its action by improving the function of the neural network involved in emotional processing.
Method
We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine changes in brain activation during a sad facial affect recognition task in 12 stable patients with bipolar disorder when medication-free compared with healthy controls and after 12 weeks of lamotrigine monotherapy.
Results
At baseline, compared with controls, patients with bipolar disorder showed overactivity in temporal regions and underactivity in the dorsal medial and right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and the dorsal cingulate gyrus. Following lamotrigine monotherapy, patients demonstrated reduced temporal and increased prefrontal activation.
Conclusions
This preliminary evidence suggests that lamotrigine may enhance the function of the neural circuitry involved in affect recognition.
Bipolar disorder is associated with dysfunction in prefrontal and limbic areas implicated in emotional processing.
Aims
To explore whether lamotrigine monotherapy may exert its action by improving the function of the neural network involved in emotional processing.
Method
We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine changes in brain activation during a sad facial affect recognition task in 12 stable patients with bipolar disorder when medication-free compared with healthy controls and after 12 weeks of lamotrigine monotherapy.
Results
At baseline, compared with controls, patients with bipolar disorder showed overactivity in temporal regions and underactivity in the dorsal medial and right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and the dorsal cingulate gyrus. Following lamotrigine monotherapy, patients demonstrated reduced temporal and increased prefrontal activation.
Conclusions
This preliminary evidence suggests that lamotrigine may enhance the function of the neural circuitry involved in affect recognition.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 197-201 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | British Journal of Psychiatry |
| Volume | 192 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2008 |
