New Study Explains why Bipolar Disorder Patients are Risk-Takers

Bipolar disorder patients are known to be risk-takers. A new study finds that changes in brain networks associated with the reward circuitry are more strongly activated in people with bipolar disorder, compelling them to make risky decisions.

People who suffer from bipolar disorder undergo radical mood swings- from being depressed to being highly excited. The condition is linked with increased risk of suicide, drug abuse and sometimes, problems dealing with professional and personal relationships.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool. The team invited people to play a game of Roulette. All the participants were hooked on to an fMRI scanner during the test.

Researchers said that brain's pleasure center forces people to seek and pursue rewards. This response is often automatic and occurs before conscious awareness takes over. According to the researchers, this instantaneous response in controlled by an ancient brain region called as the nucleus accumbens.

Bipolar disorder patients in the study had stronger activation of the nucleus accumbens than healthy people, researchers found.

Another major difference between the two groups was the activation of prefrontal cortex, which helps with long-term decisions. In the study, this part of the brain guided control participants take safe decisions, while it prompted bipolar patients to take even riskier bets.

"The greater buzz that people with bipolar disorder get from reward is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it helps people strive towards their goals and ambitions, which may contribute to the success enjoyed by many people with this diagnosis. However, it comes at a cost: these same people may be swayed more by immediate rewards when making decisions and less by the long-term consequences of these actions," Wael El-Deredy at The University of Manchester said in a news release.

"This study shows how we can use the new tools of neuroscience to better understand the psychological mechanisms that lead to a psychiatric disorder which, until now, has been very difficult to understand," said Richard Bentall from the University of Liverpool.

The study was published in the journal Brain and is funded by the Medical Research Council.

The research could help design better treatment programs for people with bipolar disorder, researchers said.