The UT Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders, a part of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences within The University of Texas medical School at Houston
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Research


Family Bipolar Study

The Family Bipolar Study will examine why bipolar disorder tends to “run in the family.” Participants who are healthy, but have a first-degree relative with bipolar disorder, will be compared to healthy participants who have no family history of mental illnesses. Researchers will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) techniques to obtain anatomical and biochemical measurements of certain brain regions. By doing this, researchers may be able to identify what hereditary traits make an individual likely to develop bipolar disorder.