Exaggerated neural response to emotional faces in patients with bipolar disorder and their first-degree relatives

►bipolar disorder is associated with exaggerated MPFC response to emotional faces. ►this is also true for relatives of our patients independently of emotion valence. ►left putamen is differentially activated in patients, relatives and controls. ►left amygdala response to happy faces is exaggerated in patients and relatives. ►the results indicate a dysregulation of emotional processing in bipolar disorder.