Final project for "Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life"

1. BIPOLAR AND MY
BRAIN
B Y N . A . H E N N I G A N

2. I HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER
• More specifically bipolar II disorder.
– This means than unlike individuals with bipolar I, I don’t have severe manic episodes characterized by
psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions
– Instead I have a less severe form of mania referred to as hypomania
– I do still experience the severe depressive episodes
– I was diagnosed when I was 23 though I showed symptoms earlier in my life
• Bipolar disorder used to be referred to as manic-depression
– This term illustrates the key symptoms of bipolar disorder which are swings in mood between
depression and mania

3. WHAT CAUSES BIPOLAR?
• Research has shown that bipolar disorder stems from a problem in the intracellular machinery
of signal transmissions
– This machinery is not only involved in information processing but also in nerve cell growth and su
• MRI scans have shown shrinkage of neurons

4. WHAT PARTS OF THE BRAIN ARE
AFFECTED?
• Scans also show a decrease in volume in the prefrontal cortex and subcortical connection sites
including the amygdala

5. FUNCTIONS OF THESE STRUCTURES
THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX
– Coordinating complex behavior
– Impulse control
– Control of emotional reactions
– Personality
– Organizing attention
– Planning
– Prioritizing information
THE AMYGDALA
– Intense emotional response
– Formation and storage of emotional
memories
– Emotional learning
– Memory

6. MY SYMPTOMS
DEPRESSIVE EPISODES
• Lack of emotional response; apathy
• Lack of energy
– I sleep so much during a depressive episode and when I am awake I just feel
tired all the time
– I move slower and am less likely to talk
• Trouble paying attention and forming thoughts
– This is frustrating because I feel it inhibits my ability to speak and express
myself. As a writer it inhibits my ability to produce my art.
• It feels like I have to focus really hard to complete simple tasks
– I work in a lab and during a depressive episode I feel like I have to check
and double check my work though the tasks I do are fairly repetitive. This
is why I focus hard on developing specific habits so I perform tasks
automatically so I am less likely to make mistakes
• Trouble remembering what I have done
– I went through several major depressive episodes during college which not
only affected my academic performance but my memory of my college
experience is very muddled
MANIC (HYPOMANIC) EPISODES
• Heightened emotional response
– The emotional response can be overwhelming especially in contrast
to my response in depressive episodes
– I’ve been known to experience over emotional responses such as
bursting out in tears over a spilled drink
• Excessive energy
– I talk a lot faster and my movements become more erratic. It’s like
being on a caffeine high without actually drinking caffeine
• Insomnia
– I try to sleep but my brain usually only allows for 2-3 hours of sleep
at a time followed by extended periods of wakefulness. Usually when
I come out of a manic episode I am exhausted.
• Hyperfocused on certain things
– It is hard to call this a negative at times because I get a lot of stuff
done, like I’ve finished writing a book during a manic episode

7. CONCLUSIONS
• Given the functions of the affected structures we can see why abnormalities can lead to bipolar
disorder
• Specifically we see problems during the processing of emotional stimuli and inhibition control
• How is my bipolar treated
– I take a combination of medications designed to keep me in a normal state
– One of my medications is a reuptake inhibitor which prevents specific neurotransmitters from being
reabsorbed by the axon terminal allowing the receiving dendrites more of a chance to receive the
neurotransmitters
• The neurotransmitters it works on are norepinephrine and dopamine
– My other medication suppresses neural activity by mechanisms not fully understood at this time
• It is also used in the treatment of seizures associated with epilepsy

8. SOURCES
• https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2008/imaging-identifies-brain-regions-and-
chemicals-underlying-mood-disorders-may-lead-to-better-treatments.shtml
• http://archive.redding.com/lifestyle/what-happens-in-the-brain-of-those-with-bipolar-disorder-
ep-361527964-354003161.html
• http://www.mybraintest.org/brain-function-areas-structure-map/
• http://brainmadesimple.com/amygdala.html
• http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/prefrontal-cortex