Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-45l2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T19:05:15.771Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A review of EEG and ERP studies in bipolar disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2014

Racheal Degabriele  and
Jim Lagopoulos
Racheal Degabriele
Affiliation:
Discipline of Psychological Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia CADE Clinic, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Jim Lagopoulos*
Affiliation:
Discipline of Psychological Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia CADE Clinic, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia Advanced Research and Clinical High-field Imaging (ARCHI), Northern Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
*
Associate Professor Jim Lagopoulos, Department of Psychological Medicine, Level 5, Building 36, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia. Tel: +61 2 99267746; Fax: +61 2 99267730; E-mail: jlagopoulos@med.usyd.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

The electroencephalogram (EEG) can be a useful tool in determining differences in general neural activity and specific waveforms in individuals with a number of psychiatric disorders. This paper aims to outline and discuss significant findings in EEG and event-related potential (ERP) research into bipolar disorder (BD).

Methods:

A literature review was performed through searches of MedLine, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycInfo medical research databases for papers published from 1985 onwards. References of selected articles were also examined for other relevant studies.

Results:

Differences in general EEG data were found in subjects with BD, namely increased theta and delta and decreased alpha wave bands. Changes in EEG were also found in euthymic BD subjects and those undergoing medication programmes. ERP studies commonly report prolonged latencies and reduced amplitudes in the P300 component. Hyperfunctioning of the right hemisphere in BD was also reported in some studies, although further confirmation of this finding is required. Finally, the effects of medication and the role that genetics plays in EEG still remain unclear.

Conclusions:

The literature reviewed demonstrates supporting evidence for the presence of significant differences in EEG and ERP data in subjects with BD. However, methodological considerations such as varying mood states and medication status of the patients need to be followed more stringently for future research to bring about a robust model of the cognitive deficits of BD.

Keywords

bipolar disorderEEGelectrophysiologyERPP300
Type
Review article
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , April 2009 , pp. 58 - 66
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Blackwell Munksgaard

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Olley, AL, Malhi, GS, Bachelor, Jet al. Executive functioning and theory of mind in euthymic bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord 2005;7(Suppl. 5):43–52. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Drevets, WC, Price, JL, Simpson, JR Jr.et al. Subgenual prefrontal cortex abnormalities in mood disorders. Nature 1997;386:824–827. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murphy, FC, Sahakian, BJ. Neuropsychology of bipolar disorder. Br J Psychiatry 2001;178:S120–127. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kano, K, Nakamura, M, Matsuoka, T, Iida, H, Nakajima, T. The topographical features of EEGs in patients with affective disorders. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 1992;83:124–129. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Koles, ZJ, Lind, JC, Flor-Henry, P. Spatial patterns in the background EEG underlying mental disease in man. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 1994;91:319–328. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Small, JG, Milstein, V, Malloy, FWet al. Topographic EEG studies of mania. Clin Electroencephalogr 1998;29:59–66. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ikeda, A, Kato, N, Kato, T. Possible relationship between electroencephalogram finding and lithium response in bipolar disorder. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2002;26:903–907. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dewan, MJ, Haldipur, CV, Boucher, MF, Ramachandran, T, Major, LF. Bipolar affective disorder. II. EEG, neuropsychological, and clinical correlates of CT abnormality. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1988;77:677–682. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Small, JG, Milstein, V, Kellams, JJ, Miller, MJ, Boyko, OB, Small, IF. EEG topography in psychiatric diagnosis and drug treatment. Ann Clin Psychiatr 1989;1:7–17. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rao, U, Dahl, RE, Ryan, NDet al. Heterogeneity in EEG sleep findings in adolescent depression: unipolar versus bipolar clinical course. J Affect Disord 2002;70:273–280. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flaisch, T, Junghofer, M, Bradley, MM, Schupp, HT, Lang, PJ. Rapid picture processing: affective primes and targets. Psychophysiology 2008;45:1–10. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clementz, BA, Sponheim, SR, Iacono, WG, Beiser, M. Resting EEG in first-episode schizophrenia patients, bipolar psychosis patients, and their first-degree relatives. Psychophysiology 1994;31:486–494. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
El-Badri, SM, Ashton, CH, Moore, PB, Marsh, VR, Ferrier, IN. Electrophysiological and cognitive function in young euthymic patients with bipolar affective disorder. Bipolar Disord 2001;3:79–87. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gerez, M, Tello, A. Clinical significance of focal topographic changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and evoked potentials (EP) of psychiatric patients. Brain Topogr 1992;5:3–10. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Souza, VB, Muir, WJ, Walker, MTet al. Auditory P300 event-related potentials and neuropsychological performance in schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder. Biol Psychiatry 1995;37:300–310. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Muir, WJ, St Clair, DM, Blackwood, DH. Long-latency auditory event-related potentials in schizophrenia and in bipolar and unipolar affective disorder. Psychol Med 1991;21:867–879. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Donchin, E. Presidential address, 1980. Surprise! … Surprise? Psychophysiology 1981;18:493–513. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O’Donnell, BF, Vohs, JL, Hetrick, WP, Carroll, CA, Shekhar, A. Auditory event-related potential abnormalities in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Int J Psychophysiol 2004;53:45–55. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hall, MH, Rijsdijk, F, Kalidindi, Set al. Genetic overlap between bipolar illness and event-related potentials. Psychol Med 2007;37:667–678. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Isreal, JB, Wickens, CD, Chesney, GL, Donchin, E. The event-related brain potential as an index of display-monitoring workload. Hum Factors 1980;22:211–224. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kutas, M, McCarthy, G, Donchin, E. Augmenting mental chronometry: the P300 as a measure of stimulus evaluation time. Science 1977;197:792–795. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCarley, RW, Salisbury, DF, Hirayasu, Yet al. Association between smaller left posterior superior temporal gyrus volume on magnetic resonance imaging and smaller left temporal P300 amplitude in first-episode schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2002;59:321–331. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
David, AS, Cutting, JC. Affect, affective disorder and schizophrenia. A neuropsychological investigation of right hemisphere function. Br J Psychiatry 1990;156:491–495. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Small, JG, Milstein, V, Malloy, FW, Medlock, CE, Klapper, MH. Clinical and quantitative EEG studies of mania. J Affect Disord 1999;53:217–224. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pettigrew, JD, Miller, SM. A ‘sticky’ interhemispheric switch in bipolar disorder? Proc Biol Sci 1998;265:2141–2148. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sperry, RW. Left-Brain Right-Brain. Saturday Review 1975;30–33. Google Scholar
Rothenberg, A. Bipolar illness, creativity, and treatment. Psychiatr Q 2001;72:131–147. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cook, BL, Shukla, S, Hoff, AL. EEG abnormalities in bipolar affective disorder. J Affect Disord 1986;11:147–149. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Potash, JB, Toolan, J, Steele, Jet al. The bipolar disorder phenome database: a resource for genetic studies. Am J Psychiatry 2007;164:1229–1237. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, MA, Abrams, R. Familial and non-familial mania. J Affect Disord 1980;2:111–208. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGuffin, P, Rijsdijk, F, Andrew, Met al. The heritability of bipolar affective disorder and the genetic relationship to unipolar depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2003;60:497–502. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schulz, C, Mavrogiorgou, P, Schroter, A, Hegerl, U, Juckel, G. Lithium-induced EEG changes in patients with affective disorders. Neuropsychobiology 2000;42(Suppl. 1):33–37. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed