The German research consortium for the study of bipolar disorder (BipoLife): a magnetic resonance imaging study protocol

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Christoph Vogelbacher - , University of Marburg, Justus Liebig University Giessen (Author)
  • Jens Sommer - , Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, University of Marburg (Author)
  • Verena Schuster - , University of Marburg, Justus Liebig University Giessen (Author)
  • Miriam H.A. Bopp - , University of Marburg, Justus Liebig University Giessen (Author)
  • Irina Falkenberg - , University of Marburg, Justus Liebig University Giessen (Author)
  • Philipp S. Ritter - , Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (Author)
  • Felix Bermpohl - , Vivantes - Netzwerk für Gesundheit GmbH (Author)
  • Catherine Hindi Attar - , Vivantes - Netzwerk für Gesundheit GmbH (Author)
  • Lisa Rauer - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Karolin E. Einenkel - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Jens Treutlein - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Oliver Gruber - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Georg Juckel - , Ruhr University Bochum (Author)
  • Vera Flasbeck - , Ruhr University Bochum (Author)
  • Christoph Mulert - , Justus Liebig University Giessen (Author)
  • Martin Hautzinger - , University of Tübingen (Author)
  • Andrea Pfennig - , Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (Author)
  • Silke Matura - , University Hospital Frankfurt (Author)
  • Andreas Reif - , University Hospital Frankfurt (Author)
  • Dominik Grotegerd - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Udo Dannlowski - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Tilo Kircher - , University of Marburg, Justus Liebig University Giessen (Author)
  • Michael Bauer - , Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (Author)
  • Andreas Jansen - , University of Marburg, Justus Liebig University Giessen (Author)

Abstract

Background: Bipolar disorder is one of the most severe mental disorders. Its chronic course is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality, a high risk of suicide and poor social and occupational outcomes. Despite the great advances over the last decades in understanding mental disorders, the mechanisms underlying bipolar disorder at the neural network level still remain elusive. This has severe consequences for clinical practice, for instance by inadequate diagnoses or delayed treatments. The German research consortium BipoLife aims to shed light on the mechanisms underlying bipolar disorders. It was established in 2015 and incorporates ten university hospitals across Germany. Its research projects focus in particular on individuals at high risk of bipolar disorder, young patients in the early stages of the disease and patients with an unstable highly relapsing course and/or with acute suicidal ideation. Methods: Functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data was acquired across nine sites within three different studies. Obtaining neuroimaging data in a multicenter setting requires among others the harmonization of the acquisition protocol, the standardization of paradigms and the implementation of regular quality control procedures. The present article outlines the MRI imaging protocols, the acquisition parameters, the imaging paradigms, the neuroimaging quality assessment procedures and the number of recruited subjects. Discussion: The careful implementation of a MRI study protocol as well as the adherence to well-defined quality assessment procedures is one key benchmark in the evaluation of the overall quality of large-scale multicenter imaging studies. This article contributes to the BipoLife project by outlining the rationale and the design of the MRI study protocol. It helps to set the necessary standards for follow-up analyses and provides the technical details for an in-depth understanding of follow-up publications.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number37
JournalInternational journal of bipolar disorders
Volume9
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2021
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0003-4286-5830/work/149796235
ORCID /0000-0002-2666-859X/work/149797533
ORCID /0000-0002-3415-5583/work/150329727

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • Bipolar disorder, BipoLife, Early intervention, Early recognition, fMRI, Major depression, MRI quality assurance, Multicenter study