In conclusion, this qualitative review of fMRI studies including first-degree relatives of bipolar patients support the current neuralmodels of BD More specifically, the same regions implicated in the pathophysiology of the disease, such as the inferior frontal gyrus the medial PFC, limbic area and in particular amygdala, as well as the parietal lobe present altered activations in unaffected first-degree relatives of bipolar patients, as compared to controls.However, the disparity of cognitive tasks and samples makes it difficult to identify a specific pattern for high-risk subjects. Additional research is still required in order to ascertain the balance between the modulation of activation due to compensatory mechanisms,functional inefficiency or true trait phenomenon, in the light of specific functional processes.