Neuroprogression and Staging in Bipolar Disorder

After the original proposals of staging for psychotic disorders developed by McGorry and colleagues, a few systems have been put forward specifically for people with bipolar disorder. There is now consistent evidence that, at least for a significant portion of people with this disease, clinical course and outcome are not as benign as initially described. The evidence thus far points to relevant differences between early and late stages of bipolar disorders in the clinical course of illness, neurobiology and systemic pathology. These differences all suggest that staging is a viable addition to clinical care in bipolar disorder. Neuroprogression and Staging in Bipolar Disorder provides a comprehensive summary of the current state of the evidence regarding the use of staging systems in bipolar disorder. Edited by the leading researchers in the field, the book systematically covers the theoretical basis for staging, comparisons between different proposals, neurobiological underpinnings, the current evidence-base, limitations and future directions, and clinical implications and recommendations for practice. The book provides a solid and in-depth outline and thus to influence research and practice in the field of bipolar disorder.

Flávio Kapczinski is Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Research and Head of the Molecular Psychiatry Laboratory at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil. He is Consultant for the National Council of Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). He has wide experience in clinical research, being lead investigator in several clinical trials, some funded by the Stanley Medical Research Institute and Brain & Behavioral Foundation. His work identified biological underpinnings of the decline in cognition and physical health among patients with bipolar disorder. He has published over 302 peer-reviewed papers and has 4700 citations with an H-index of 35. Recently his research has focused on neurotoxicity mechanisms linked to mood episodes and the use of a systemic toxicity index, supporting the notion that bipolar disorder is a systemic illness, approximating psychiatry to other fields of medicine. He currently coordinates the Brazilian National Institute of Translational Medicine. Eduard Vieta is Professor of Psychiatry, Head of Department and Director of the Bipolar Disorders Program of the Hospital Clinic at the University of Barcelona, Spain. He is Director of the Bipolar Research Program at the Spanish Research Network on Mental Diseases (CIBERSAM) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. His research focuses on the neurobiology, epidemiology and treatment of bipolar disorder. He received the 2007 Aristotle Award, the 2005 Mogens Schou Award and the 2012 Colvin Prize on Outstanding Achievement in Mood Disorders Research by the Brain and Behaviour Research Foundation. Having made significant contributions to many published bipolar disorder treatment guidelines he has authored over 500 articles, 200 chapters and 27 books. His H index is 70 with over 18000 citations. He is on editorial boards of many international scientific journals. He has served as Invited Professor at Harvard University and Neuroscience Scientific Advisor to the Euro