Fifteen Years of Research

• Mood Disorders Registry Founded

  2009

  The Mood Disorders Registry was created with the purpose of recruiting both volunteers diagnosed with affective (mood) disorders and volunteers not diagnosed with these disorders, but who are still interested in contributing to research at the University of Iowa. The registry has already been used in numerous studies probing the nature of mood disorders. The published findings were only possible through the dedication of our research volunteers.
   

• Cerebellar Metabolism in Bipolar Disorder

  2017

  Bipolar disorder is a frequently devastating psychiatric illness that is challenging to diagnose and treat. In this 5-year study, we used identified the underlying mechanisms of this illness may provide a foundation for better evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. Volunteers underwent psychiatric symptom assessment and brain imaging. We integrated the cerebellum into the emotional control network and investigated changes in the network associated with mood states.

• Suicidality in Bipolar and Major Depression Disorders

  2021

  The rate of mortality by suicide is approximately twenty times higher in psychiatric disorders as compared to the general population. Among psychiatric disorders, bipolar disorder has the highest rate of attempts (~40%), which is 2-3 times higher than in major depressive disorder (MDD). Yet, the neurobiological underpinnings for this high rate in BD remain poorly understood. In this study, we study possible neural circuits underlying bipolar disorder and suicide. We use both multi-modal MR imaging coupled with measurements of suicidal behavior, psychiatric symptoms, and personality traits.

• Cerebellar Metabolism, Neural Circuits, and Symptoms in Bipolar Disorder

  2023

  Bipolar disorder is a frequently devastating psychiatric illness that is challenging to diagnose and treat. There has been a sparsity of studies undertaken that have attempted to follow participants with bipolar disorder and observe changes in brain metabolism and function associated with fluctuations in mood. We have an ongoing two-year longitudinal study of 170 volunteers with a diagnosis of bipolar type I, as well as 90 controls, to study changes in cerebellar metabolism and function associated with mood fluctuations. Our bipolar volunteers receive a brief weekly mood assessment to identify changes in mood. If there is a distinct shift in mood, volunteers will undergo an MRI scan to asssess changes in the brain.