Abstract
Bipolar I Disorder (BD) is characterized by emotion lability and behavior with high potential for negative consequences (e.g., unrestrained spending, risky financial decisions, sexual indiscretions, recklessness, substance use). These behaviors, which often persist into the euthymic phase of BD, lead to severe functional impairment in individuals with BD. However, limited knowledge about neurobiological mechanisms associated with BD presents significant challenges for developing appropriate and precise treatments for improving clinical and functional outcomes. Extant literature suggests that impulsivity, especially in emotional contexts, contributes to these features of BD. Impulsivity can be conceptualized as a deficit in response inhibition, which is impaired in BD during behavioral Go-NoGo tasks. Theta band EEG activity is a psychophysiological marker which has been shown to index response inhibition in traditional Go-NoGo paradigms, but has yet to be examined in affective contexts in BD. This study aims to delineate the role of theta activity in the context of affective response inhibition in individuals with bipolar I disorder relative to healthy control participants utilizing an emotional Go-NoGo paradigm. Further, this study will explore potential relevance of theta activity for clinical and functional outcomes in BD. Implications of these analyses for targeted interventions to improve clinical and functional outcomes will be discussed.