Comparison of Brain/Behavioral Systems Activity in the Patients with Unipolar Major Depression Disorder, Bipolar Manic Disorder, and Normal Controls

The present study aimed to compare brain/behavioral systems activity in the patients with unipolar major depression disorder, bipolar manic disorder, and normal controls based on BAS dysregulation model.
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 21 patients with major depression disorder and 21 patients with bipolar manic disorder. The patients were selected from the psychiatric hospitals of Shiraz through convenience sampling using DSM-IV diagnostic interview, Beck Depression-II, Young Rating Mania Interview, and Shugar Self-Rating Mania Inventory. The control group participants were also selected from the hospitals staff using the above-mentioned scales. These participants had to have normal performance in the diagnostic interview and to obtain standard scores in the screen scales. The data were collected using SPSR and BIS/BAS self-rating scales and were then analyzed by MANOVA and Toki post-hoc test.
Bipolar manic patients showed higher levels of BAS and SR indexes compared to the two other groups. However, no significant difference was observed between the major depressive patients and the normal controls in this regard. Moreover, major depressive patients showed higher levels of BIS and SP indexes in comparison to the two other groups.
Vulnerability to bipolar spectrum disorders results from a dysregulated BAS.