Bipolar Disorder Vulnerability: Perspectives from Pediatric and High-Risk Populations

Bipolar Disorder Vulnerability: Perspectives from Pediatric and High-Risk Populations synthesizes our current understanding of high-risk and pediatric populations to aid readers in identifying markers of vulnerability for the development of bipolar disorder, with an ultimate goal of the development of drug targets and other therapies for early diagnosis and treatment. The book provides readers with an understanding of biological and environmental factors influencing disease manifestation that will aid them in defining discrete clinical stages and, importantly, establish an empirical basis for the application of novel therapeutics in a phase of illness during which specific treatments could more effectively alter disease course.Whereas most of the literature available on the pathophysiological mechanisms of bipolar disorder focuses on chronically ill adult individuals, this represents the only book that specifically examines pediatric and high-risk populations. An estimated 30 to 60 percent of adult bipolar disorder patients have their disease onset during childhood, with early-onset cases representing a particularly severe and genetically loaded form of the illness.- Highlights diverse translational methodologies, including functional and structural neuroimaging, neuropsychological testing and integrated genomics- Examines molecular trajectories in youth with bipolar disorder and unaffected youth at high risk for developing bipolar disorder- Explores the interaction between genomic and environmental influences that shape behavior

About the Author

Dr. Jair C. Soares joined UTHealth in 2009 as Professor and Chair of the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and the Pat R. Rutherford, Jr. Chair in Psychiatry at the McGovern Medical School, as well as the Executive Director of UTHealth Harris County Psychiatric Center. A Board-certified psychiatrist, he also serves as Chief of Psychiatry Services at Memorial Hermann Hospital and LBJ Hospital. The sites provide patient care and are clinical training and research facilities for UTHealth medical students, psychiatry residents and psychiatry fellows.Dr. Soares directs the UTHealth Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders, which focuses on the search for causes and the development of new treatments for mood disorders. The Center is comprised of an active research team that specializes in clinical neurosciences (neuroimaging, neurophysiology, cognitive neurosciences, and genetics) and clinical psychopharmacology and interventions research.Dr. Soares received his medical degree from the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) and completed a general psychiatry residency at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh. Subsequently, Dr. Soares completed a brain imaging fellowship at the Yale University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. He obtained a PhD in medical sciences at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil).Prior to joining UTHealth, Dr. Soares served as the Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Center of Excellence for Research and Treatment of Bipolar Disorders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and as Deputy Chair for Research and Division Chief for Mood and Anxiety Disorders with the Department of Psychiatry at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.Dr. Soares has published more than 350 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in the psychiatric literature and has held editorial positions on a number of national and international medical journals. His research has been funded over the years by multiple grants from NIH, VA, private foundations and the pharmaceutical industry. Since April 2015, he has been the co-editor in chief for the Journal of Affective Disorders. Since 2018, he has served as president of the International Society on Affective Disorders. He also is co-editor in chief for a new spin-off publication, Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, which was launched in 2020. Currently he serves as president-elect for the American Association for Chairs of Academic Departments of Psychiatry. He also serves in the finance committee and in the travel award committee for the International Society for Clinical Trials Methodology (ISCTM).

Dr. Walss-Bass is Associate Professor and Director of the University of Texas Health Brain Collection for Research in Psychiatric Disorders in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in Houston.

Dr. Brambilla is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Milan and Chair of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) Neuroimaging Section.