Title: Examining the Relationships Between Stress, Reward Processing, and Bipolar Disorder
Description: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a prevalent illness associated with severe impairments in functioning and elusive etiological pathways. Although a strong link between negative life stress and the onset of mood episodes in BD has been documented, the mechanisms underlying this connection remain unclear. A dysregulated reward system may play a prominent role in bridging these phenomena given that anhedonia and hyperhedonia are often symptoms of BD. Furthermore, emerging research suggests that negative stress influences reward responsiveness and the neurobiological substrates that regulate this system. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the complex connections between negative stress, reward processing, and BD.