Bipolar Disorder
It is a disease characterized by unusual mood swings. It can display significantly marked emotions in the form of:
- Cheerfulness or euphoria.
- Sadness or depression.
- Irritability and / or excessive anxiety.
When neurophysiological studies are performed, in the most frequent or typical cases very high voltages are observed during tasks that elicit emotions. The voltage is associated with neuronal activity, concluding that the neurons that generate the emotions work excessively and, accordingly, the emotion is very intense.
The zones commonly affected in the most frequent group are the so-called limbic regions that include the cerebral amygdala and the cingulate gyrus, among other zones.
The histopathology studies in these patients have shown a deficit of inhibitory or gabaergic neurons in the regions mentioned and many of them are of family inherited or genetic origin.
A second group shows alterations in the frontotemporal regions, responsible of emotional control and regulation. When these zones are damaged, they produce very similar symptoms to those of the group previously described, but it is in fact a different problem.
The neurophysiological studies help to clarify the problem type, allowing more accurate treatment planning.