---
title: "Psych News Alert: Study Finds Differences Between Brain Activity in Youth and Adults With Bipolar Disorder"
description: While studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have begun to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying bipolar disorder...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_112583717-Jun-24-2025-10-40-55-4903-PM.jpg
---

 6/20/14 12:00 AM

# Study Finds Differences Between Brain Activity in Youth and Adults With Bipolar Disorder

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/06/study-finds-differences-between-brain.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/06/study-finds-differences-between-brain.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/06/study-finds-differences-between-brain.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/06/study-finds-differences-between-brain.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/06/study-finds-differences-between-brain.html)

| ![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_112583717-Jun-24-2025-10-40-54-4640-PM.jpg?width=182&height=200&name=shutterstock_112583717-Jun-24-2025-10-40-54-4640-PM.jpg) |  |
| --- | --- |

While studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have begun to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying bipolar disorder, very few have investigated whether differences exist between brain activity of youth with the disorder and adults with the disorder.

Researchers from the PediMind Program at Bradley Hospital at Brown University conducted the first [meta-analysis](http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1878925) comparing the brain activity of youth and adults with bipolar disorder. The analysis included data from 100 studies that used fMRI to measure changes in the brain in response to various forms of stimuli. The researchers focused on regions of the brain that are significant for emotional reactions.

The results, published in *JAMA Psychiatry*, showed that when participants viewed images of emotional faces, youth with bipolar disorder displayed greater amygdala activity than adults with the disorder. When using emotional stimuli, the researchers found that brain activity was greater in the inferior front gyrus and precuneus areas of youth than of adults. Nonemotional stimuli showed a lack of brain activity in youth when compared with adults.

"Despite our best current treatments, bipolar disorder exacts a considerable toll on youth, including problems with friends, parents, and at school, and high rates of psychiatric hospitalization and suicide attempts," said Daniel Dickstein, M.D., senior author and an associate professor of psychiatry and of pediatrics at Brown. "More research into targeted treatments is needed now that we know children's brains are impacted in specific, identifiable ways by bipolar disorder. Locating the underlying brain change in bipolar youth could lead us to new, brain-based ways to improve how we diagnose and treat this disorder."

To read more about research on pediatric bipolar disorder and underlying mechanisms that may be associated with it, see the *Psychiatric News* articles "[Family-Focused Therapy Reduces Bipolar Symptoms in Youth](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=1866024)" and "[Same Brain Circuits Linked With Psychosis in Two Disorders](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=1883932)."

(Image: James Steidl/shutterstock.com)

[youth](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/youth), [bipolar disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/bipolar-disorder), [Daniel Dickstein](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/daniel-dickstein), [M.D.](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/m-d-)

## Related posts

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/BipolarCoin_93621283-Jun-24-2025-04-35-50-6824-PM.jpg?height=200&name=BipolarCoin_93621283-Jun-24-2025-04-35-50-6824-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/11/study-identifies-suicide-risk-in-youth.html)

[psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatry), [youth](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/youth), [bipolar disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/bipolar-disorder), [suicide attempts](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide-attempts), [early-onset bipolar disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/early-onset-bipolar-disorder)

## [Study Identifies Suicide Risk in Youth With Bipolar Disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/11/study-identifies-suicide-risk-in-youth.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 11/7/12 12:00 AM

Young people with bipolar disorder are known to be at high risk for suicide attempts. Now a new...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/11/study-identifies-suicide-risk-in-youth.html)

[pediatrics](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/pediatrics), [bipolar disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/bipolar-disorder), [psychopharmacology](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychopharmacology)

## [Asenapine Found to Be Safe, Effective in Youth With Manic or Mixed Episode of Bipolar I Disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/11/asenapine-found-to-be-safe-effective-in.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 11/25/15 12:00 AM

The second-generation antipsychotic asenapine may help to reduce mania and the severity of illness...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/11/asenapine-found-to-be-safe-effective-in.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/sad-looking%20boy%20in%20gray_95819308-Jun-24-2025-04-19-47-9272-PM.jpg?height=200&name=sad-looking%20boy%20in%20gray_95819308-Jun-24-2025-04-19-47-9272-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/08/bipolar-illness-plus-substance-use-may.html)

[substance use](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/substance-use), [early-onset bipolar disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/early-onset-bipolar-disorder), [bipolar disorder prevalence in youth](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/bipolar-disorder-prevalence-in-youth)

## [Bipolar Illness Plus Substance Use May Be Danger Signal for Adolescents](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/08/bipolar-illness-plus-substance-use-may.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 8/6/12 12:00 AM

Early-onset bipolar disorder is associated with high rates of suicide attempts, Tina Goldstein,...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/08/bipolar-illness-plus-substance-use-may.html)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert",
    "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2025-06-24T22:42:28.079Z",
  "datePublished" : "2014-06-20T04:00:00.000Z",
  "headline" : "Psych News Alert: Study Finds Differences Between Brain Activity in Youth and Adults With Bipolar Disorder",
  "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_112583717-Jun-24-2025-10-40-55-4903-PM.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/06/study-finds-differences-between-brain.html",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg"
    }
  }
}
```