# Affective and Cognitive Mechanisms of Emotion-Based Impulsivity in Bipolar Disorder: Linking Neural Oscillatory Dynamics to Real-World Outcomes

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2024 · $195,358

## Abstract

Projective Summary/Abstract
Individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) experience severe and persistent difficulties with impulsivity, especially
when experiencing strong emotions. Emotion-based impulsivity is associated with increased
hospitalizations, lost relationships, substance use, and suicide. Yet, mechanisms underlying emotion-based
impulsivity are not well understood, limiting the design of effective interventions. To this end, the Candidate
aims to use multimodal assessments to identify candidate mechanisms of emotion-based impulsivity in the lab
and daily life. This K23 proposal has two goals: 1) to delineate neurophysiological indicators of cognitive
control using electroencephalogram (EEG) and their association with real-world emotion-based impulsivity in
daily life measured with ecological momentary assessment (EMA); and 2) To provide the Candidate with
training in affective neuroscience and experimental psychopathology (training objective 1), EEG
methods and analysis (training objective 2), and intensive longitudinal modeling (training objective 3),
to accelerate clinical translational research (training objective 4) in BD. The proposed project will study 90
adults across the entire bipolar spectrum (30 healthy controls, 30 subclinical BD, and 30 diagnosed BD) drawn
from the well-established Prechter Longitudinal Cohort (
n = 1,394)
at the University of Michigan. Participants
will complete trait measures of emotion-based impulsivity, an affective inhibition paradigm while undergoing an
EEG, and a 28-day EMA protocol developed to assess momentary affective arousal, emotion regulation, and
impulsivity. The research specific aims are to: 1) Identify neurophysiological components of cognitive control
that
are associated with
trait and lab-based emotion-based impulsivity, and 2) Evaluate the extent to which
these components
are associated with
emotion-based impulsivity in real-world settings. This proposed
research is innovative in examining neural oscillations and synchrony embedded in EEG signals as a
mechanism of emotion-based impulsivity and linking it with real-world behavior using ecological momentary
assessment. It has significant implications because it could yield novel neural and cognitive treatment targets
(e.g., neuromodulation of theta-band activity as an adjunct to psychosocial interventions) to improve emotion-
based impulsivity in BD after further mechanistic studies. The Candidate is supported by a team of mentors
and consultants who are leading experts in translational clinical science and areas of proposed training: Dr. Ivy
Tso (Primary Mentor, EEG methods and analysis), Dr. Melvin McInnis (Co-Mentor, bipolar disorder,
responsible conduct of research), Dr. David Fresco (Consultant: affective neuroscience, emotion regulation),
Dr. Daniel McNeish (Statistical Consultant: intensive longitudinal modeling),
Dr. Flavio Frohlich (Consultant:
EEG time frequency analysis)
and Dr. Sheri Johnson (Consultant: emotion-based impulsivit...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10901978
- **Project number:** 5K23MH131601-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah Havens Sperry
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $195,358
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-08 → 2028-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10901978

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10901978, Affective and Cognitive Mechanisms of Emotion-Based Impulsivity in Bipolar Disorder: Linking Neural Oscillatory Dynamics to Real-World Outcomes (5K23MH131601-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10901978. Licensed CC0.

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