My research aims to determine the neuropathophysiology of pediatric mood disorders including bipolar disorder (BD), severe mood dysregulation (SMD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). To identify the neural correlates of these disorders, I utilize structural and functional neuroimaging techniques including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), voxel-based morphometry (VBM), and advanced functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methods. Specifically, I study the neural correlates of attention and attention-emotion interactions in these disorders, as attention deficits are present in all three mood disorders and the extent to which attention deficits are secondary to emotional difficulties remains unclear. Neuroimaging may be used to elucidate how dysfunction in attention and its interaction with emotion may mediate symptoms of mood disorders, and how treatment impacts such dysfunction. Additionally, because attention deficits are evident across a range of diagnoses, delineation of the neural correlates of attention deficits has the potential for broad-reaching impact on psychiatric treatment, especially in children. As evidence suggests that pediatric mood disorders lead to a lifetime of reduced functioning, novel interventions based on neural findings could significantly reduce both the lifetime burden of illness for children with these disorders, as well as the overall societal burden of mental illness.
