Reward hypersensitivity
Over-weighting of goals and incentives in mania risk.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Research84
Awareness78
Complexity82
Clinical weight90
Plasticity55
Live debate80
LessMore
Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
Where should I start with Bipolar Disorder?
Read Overview → Anatomy → Function, then use compare rails.
Is this page advice for Bipolar Disorder?
Educational atlas — not a diagnosis, treatment plan, or medical advice.
What does the local lens add?
It names everyday desks for Disorders before English norms look universal.
Are the scores a ranking of Bipolar Disorder?
No — editorial 0–100 browsing aids inside this atlas only.
How do I compare Bipolar Disorder to neighbours?
Use related cards and best-of / quiz rails after the first three chapters.
Which chapter is densest?
Anatomy and Function carry mechanisms; skim Overview first.
Functionally, bipolar course reflects unstable set-points for energy, reward pursuit and sleep — tipping into mania or depression under load.
Educational neuroscience context only — not medical advice, diagnosis or a substitute for emergency or clinical care. If you are in crisis, seek local emergency services or a licensed clinician.
Processes
Goal dysregulation
Escalating projects without braking.
Sleep–wake collapse
Reduced need for sleep feeding further activation.
Cognitive control failure
Impulsivity and poor foresight in mania.
Anhedonia in depression
Collapsed reward pursuit and energy.
Inter-episode residual risk
Subtle sleep and cognition vulnerabilities persist.
Networks
Mesolimbic reward80
Prefrontal regulation58
Salience / ACC–insula70
Default / rumination (depression)65
Circadian pacemaker influence45
Mesolimbic reward
Incentive salience amplified in mania.
Prefrontal regulation
Often relatively down-weighted in manic states.
Salience / ACC–insula
State monitoring and affective conflict.
Default / rumination (depression)
Self-critical loops in bipolar depression.
Circadian pacemaker influence
Timing systems that destabilise under sleep loss.
Examples
All-night project spiral
Reduced sleep need + escalating goals.
Spending surge
Reward hypersensitivity without foresight brakes.
Post-mania crash
Energy collapse into bipolar depression.
Social-rhythm therapy week
Anchoring wake, meals and meds to stabilise.
Compare radar scores with Depression and Sleep pages; seek care for personal symptoms.
Sources & research
- Bipolar disorderClinical primer on bipolar disorder.DOI
- A critical appraisal of neuroimaging studies of bipolar disorder: toward a new conceptualization of underlying neural circuitryCritical neuroimaging synthesis for bipolar circuitry.DOI
- Evidence-based guidelines for treating bipolar disorder: Revised third edition recommendations from the British Association for PsychopharmacologyEvidence-based treatment guidelines.DOI
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