The putative role of neuronal network synchronization as a potential biomarker for bipolar disorder : a review of EEG studies

Impaired intra-hemispheric and inter-hemispheric communication play a major role in the pathophysiology and cognitive disturbances of bipolar disorder (BD). Brain connectivity in BD has been largely investigated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, which have found alterations in prefronto-limbic coupling. In contrast, evidence for functional neural circuitry abnormalities in BD is less consistent. Indeed, just a few studies employing the electroencephalographic (EEG) technique, enabling the exploration of oscillatory brain dynamics, addressed this issue. Therefore, in the present review we summarize the results from EEG studies examining connectivity in patients with BD, to further clarify the putative role of neuronal network synchronization as a potential biomarker of this disabling mental illness.