Project Summary

Allison G. Harvey, D. Phil. (Young Investigator 2006) of the University of California, Berkeley, will study sleep disturbance and mood regulation difficulties in bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a severe and chronic disorder, ranked in the top 10 leading causes of disability worldwide. While advances in treatments for bipolar disorder have been made, relapse risk remains high. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand what triggers relapse and to use this information to develop new adjunctive interventions to reduce relapse risk. The aim of the proposed research is to determine if mood regulation is a key unrecognized causal mechanism that contributes to the persistence of sleep disturbance in bipolar disorder. The longer term objective is to establish a scientific basis for the development of a novel adjunctive intervention designed to reduce sleep disturbance and establish a more resilient mood regulation system. This intervention is expected to reduce the burden of bipolar disorder by decreasing relapse risk and improving the quality of life of patients with bipolar disorder.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Bipolar

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