"Although efforts to examine the structure and function of the human brain stretch back centuries (Paluzzi et al, 2007), techniques allowing the study of living humans are a relatively recent development. Early investigators confined themselves to largely studying external features, with 18th century methodologies such as phrenology purporting to link extracranial proxies for brain size and structure to specific personality traits (Livianos-Aldana et al, 2007). However, these techniques did not prove useful for either clinical or research purposes. Two-dimensional x-ray imaging, while constituting an important medical advance, did not provide sufficient soft tissue contrast to be useful for studying "functional" psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder; techniques to enhance contrast, such as ventriculography and pneumoencephalography were similarly limited (Figure 1.1). Wide-spread in vivo studies of brain morphometry had to await the development of computed tomography imaging (CT) in the early 1970s. By the early 1980s CT was already being applied to the study of bipolar disorder (Pearlson et al, 1981)"--

Bipolar disorder is a common, complex and costly mental health disorder, which sits at the heart of the practice of clinical psychiatry. Effective treatments (pharmacological, psychological and brain stimulation based) have all been discovered serendipitously. With the huge advances in basic neuroscience the way is now clear for novel treatments to be developed based on brain science. This book reviews these possibilities.

Recent studies regarding the neuropathology of specific neurological disorders suggest that both neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative processes may play a role. However, in contrast to the neurodegeneration seen in neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, the term "neuroprogression" has been used to describe the neurodevelopmental aspect of pathological brain re-wiring that takes place in the context of severe psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Within psychiatry, patients with severe psychopathology, such as those depressed patients who eventually commit suicide, have been shown to present with increased inflammatory markers in the brain. A similar increase in inflammatory markers is also found in patients with bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. Thus, oxidative stress, inflammation, and changes in growth factors are thought to be the pathways of neuroprogression. Neuroprogression in Psychiatry provides a comprehensive summary of the current developments in the emerging field of neuroprogression. With contributions by leading researchers in the field, this book examines the role of neuroprogression across a wide range of specific psychiatric disorders, with chapters included on major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

The Bipolar Book covers not only clinical and pathophysiological matters, but also technical aspects of the evidence accumulation for treatment of bipolar disorder. This approach brings in stimulating discussions on available data originating from current randomized controlled trials with specified considerations of bipolar mania, depression, and prophylaxis by providing accompanying recommendations for an improved evidence formation and synthesis. The Bipolar Book provides a clinician-friendly view of debatable issues on the existing randomized trials based evidence and the ways of improving them by respecting distinctive fluctuating pattern of bipolar disorder.

The Neurobiology of Bipolar Disorder: Road to Novel Therapeutics combines the basic neurobiology of bipolar disorder with discussions of the most recent advances in research, including the interacting pathways implicated in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder, genetic approaches and the pharmacogenomics of bipolar disorder. The basic foundational understanding of the neurobiology underlying the disorder, along with a comprehensive summary of the most recent advances in research combine to aid advanced students and researchers in their understanding of bipolar disorder management using novel and fast-acting pharmaceutical and neuromodulatory approaches. Aids readers in understanding bipolar disorder in the context of NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) recommendations Covers a range of existing and potential pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment options, from lifestyle adjustments to novel therapeutics Synthesizes a discussion of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying symptoms with clinical aspects of bipolar disorder

After the birth of her baby triggers a manic maelstrom, Dyane Harwood struggles to survive the bewildering highs and crippling lows of her brain’s turmoil. Birth of a New Brain vividly depicts her postpartum bipolar disorder, an unusual type of bipolar disorder and postpartum mood and anxiety disorder. During her childhood, Harwood grew up close to her father, a brilliant violinist in the Los Angeles Philharmonic who had bipolar disorder. She learned how bipolar disorder could ravage a family, but she never suspected that she’d become mentally ill—until her baby was born. Harwood wondered if mental health would always be out of her reach. From medications to electroconvulsive therapy, from “redwood forest baths” to bibliotherapy, she explored both traditional and unconventional methods of recovery—in-between harrowing psychiatric hospitalizations. Harwood reveals how she ultimately achieved a stable mood. She discovered that despite having a chronic mood disorder, a new, richer life is possible. Birth of a New Brain is the chronicle of one mother’s perseverance, offering hope and grounded advice for those battling mental illness.

Bipolar disorder is one of the most common, and disabling, conditions affecting human kind. Each year, millions of individuals struggle with the effects of this illness. Although clinically well recognized for decades, if not centuries, the causes of this condition remain incompletely understood. However, in the past decade, significant technological advances in both neuroimaging and genetic research have revealed clues about the neurophysiological basis of bipolar illness. In this book, leading experts in neuroimaging and genetics discuss recent discoveries in bipolar disorder that identify both the structural, functional and chemical brain changes that seem to underlie this condition, as well as the possible genetic causes of these brain events. Based upon these discussions, the book then integrates these diverse considerations to develop a specific neurophysiological model of bipolar disorder. This model provides a resource to guide clinicians and patients as they struggle to understand this illness, as well as a guide for future investigations into the causes of bipolar disorder. With this guide in hand, this book will lead to a new framework for understanding bipolar disorder in order to, ultimately, develop improved therapies for affected individuals and novel strategies to prevent the onset in children at risk for this condition.