A recent German study has uncovered a new therapy based on emotional awareness that may be effective in treating and preventing relapses of bipolar disorder.
- German researchers have discovered a therapeutic tool focused on emotional awareness that increases the activation and connectivity of an emotion regulation center in the brain, the amygdala.
- The therapy may be effective in the long-term treatment and prevention of relapses of bipolar disorder.
- Larger panel studies will be needed to ensure that the effectiveness of this therapy works on a larger scale.
Of recent research have identified a therapeutic tool focused on emotional awareness that increases the activation and connectivity of an emotion regulation center in the brain. The therapy may be effective in the long-term treatment and prevention of relapses of bipolar disorder.
Patients with bipolar disorder experience extreme mood states that typically alternate between mania, depression, and impaired social functioning. The complex mechanisms of this condition make it difficult to treat, often requiring a combination of medications and behavioral interventions, which can take patients years to get better.
Bipolar patients have impaired amygdala functioning
Researchers at the Medical University of Berlin Charité Hospital in Germany studied the impact of two psychotherapeutic interventions on symptoms of bipolar disorder and on amygdala activation and connectivity with other brain regions related to emotions using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
The amygdala is a part of the brain that helps regulate emotions and detect stimuli to trigger a behavioral response. Research has shown that bipolar patients (outside of a manic episode) exhibit impaired amygdala activation and functional connectivity.
In one intervention, 28 patients underwent emotion-focused therapy where they were guided to perceive and label their emotions without avoidance or suppression. The second intervention, delivered to 31 participants, was a specific cognitive-behavioral therapy focused on the practice of social interventions.
Bipolar Disorder: Therapy Leads to Better Emotional Processing
Researchers recorded patients’ symptoms using an assessment interview for 24 weeks before treatment, then throughout follow-up, then six months after, and finally between six and 12 months after treatment. The assessment produced separate weekly measures of mania and depression on a scale of 1 to 6 ranging from no signs (1) to psychotic symptoms or severe functional impairment (6). 17 participants from each group underwent fMRI while performing an emotion-related task, as did 32 healthy control subjects.
“Consistent with our expectations, patients participating in the emotion-focused therapy showed increased amygdala activation and connectivity after the intervention compared to patients receiving the cognitive-behavioral intervention, which may reflect a better emotional processing and increased tolerance to the negative effects of emotions”said Dr. Kristina Meyer, co-lead author of the study, in a communicated. In contrast, cognitive-behavioral intervention participants demonstrated increased activation of brain regions related to social function, but not impaired amygdala activity.
