| Ellen Leibenluft, M.D., Unit Chief
The research program of the Unit on Affective Disorders in the Pediatrics and Developmental Neuropsychiatry Branch, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health is focused on the study of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents. The Unit studies differences between children and adults in the presentation of bipolar disorder, and conducts investigations of the neural mechanisms underlying the symptoms of bipolar disorder in children. The latter studies use psychophysiological and neuroimaging techniques to understand how children with bipolar disorder process emotional stimuli differently than do children without the illness.The neuroimaging techniques employed include functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, or MRS. The Unit is also involved in the development of new treatment strategies for early-onset bipolar disorder and related illnesses. These treatment studies include testing medications for those children with bipolar disorder who have already failed several trials of medication, as well as testing treatments for children who, while not exhibiting the classic symptoms of bipolar disorder, suffer from severe mood instability and behavioral dyscontrol. |
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