Commentary on “White Matter Abnormalities in Late Onset First Episode Mania: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study”

Abstract

Late onset mania without preceding history of bipolar disorder is regarded as rare phenomenon. However, it is not as rare as clinicians might think. The prevalence of late‐life mania in inpatient settings is approximately 6.0% for patients aged 50 years and older, including both early‐onset and late‐onset bipolar disorder.1 In their report, in this issue of the Journal, Rameriz-Bermudez and colleagues advance our understanding of patients with who develop late-life mania. They examined cerebral white matter abnormalities using diffusion tensor imaging in 22 patients with late onset mania (after the age of 50) with no preceding history of manic or mixed episodes compared with 22 age-matched healthy controls.