Abnormal white matter integrity as a structural endophenotype for bipolar disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 1547-1558 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sarıçiçek ◽  
N. Zorlu ◽  
N. Yalın ◽  
C. Hıdıroğlu ◽  
B. Çavuşoğlu ◽  
...  

BackgroundSeveral lines of evidence suggest that bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with white matter (WM) pathology. Investigation of unaffected first-degree relatives of BD patients may help to distinguish structural biomarkers of genetic risk without the confounding effects of burden of illness, medication or clinical state. In the present study, we applied tract-based spatial statistics to study WM changes in patients with BD, unaffected siblings and controls.MethodA total of 27 euthymic patients with BD type I, 20 unaffected siblings of bipolar patients and 29 healthy controls who did not have any current or past diagnosis of Axis I psychiatric disorders were enrolled in the study.ResultsFractional anisotropy (FA) was significantly lower in BD patients than in the control group in the corpus callosum, fornix, bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, anterior thalamic radiation, posterior thalamic radiation, cingulum, uncinate fasciculus, superior corona radiata, anterior corona radiata and left external capsule. In region-of-interest (ROI) analyses, we found that both unaffected siblings and bipolar patients had significantly reduced FA in the left posterior thalamic radiation, the left sagittal stratum, and the fornix compared with healthy controls. Average FA for unaffected siblings was intermediate between the healthy controls and bipolar patients within these ROIs.ConclusionsDecreased FA in the fornix, left posterior thalamic radiation and left sagittal stratum in both bipolar patients and unaffected siblings may represent a potential structural endophenotype or a trait-based marker for BD.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 408
Author(s):  
Artur Reginia ◽  
Jerzy Samochowiec ◽  
Marcin Jabłoński ◽  
Ewa Ferensztajn-Rochowiak ◽  
Janusz K. Rybakowski ◽  
...  

Progress in medical science has allowed the discovery of many factors affecting the pathogenesis of bipolar disorder, and among the most recent research directions are found regenerative and inflammatory processes. The role of regenerative processes remains particularly poorly explored, but available data encourage further research, which may explain the pathogenesis of bipolar disorder (BD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the mobilization of stem cells into peripheral blood, in patients with bipolar disorder during stable phase, not treated with lithium salts. The study included 30 unrelated individuals with the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, with disease duration of at least 10 years, not treated with lithium salts for at least five years prior to the study. The control group consisted of 30 healthy subjects, matched for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), origin, socio-demographic factors and nicotine use. Blood samples underwent cytometric analyses to assess concentrations of: Very Small Embryonic Like (VSEL) CD34+, VSEL AC133+, HSC CD34+, HSC AC133+. There were no significant differences in stem cell levels between patients with BD and healthy controls. However, the level of VSEL cells AC133 + was significantly higher in type I BD patients compared to healthy controls. Our results indicate a disturbance in regenerative processes in patients with bipolar disorder.


2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 193-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meltem Ceyhan ◽  
Baki Adapınar ◽  
Gokay Aksaray ◽  
Figen Ozdemir ◽  
Ertugrul Colak

Objective:To evaluate the absence and size of massa intermedia (MI), a midline thalamic structure, and its gender-specific alteration in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.Methods:Thirty-five patients with schizophrenia (17 females and 18 males), 21 patients with bipolar disorder (15 females and 6 males) and 89 healthy controls (50 females and 39 males) were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging. Thin-slice magnetic resonance images of the brain were evaluated. MI was determined in coronal and sagittal images, and area of the MI was measured on the sagittal plane.Results:Females had a significantly lower incidence of absent MI compared with males in the healthy control group. The absence of MI in schizophrenia and bipolar patients was not higher than the incidence in healthy controls. The size of MI showed a gender difference. The mean MI area size was smaller in female schizophrenia patients than in female controls, while no significant difference was observed between male schizophrenia patients and their controls.Conclusions:The size of MI, a gender difference midline structure, is smaller in females with schizophrenia, and the results of this study support other studies of structural aberration of the thalamus and other midline structures in the brains of patients with schizophrenia.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0246908
Author(s):  
Usue Espinós ◽  
Enrique G. Fernández-Abascal ◽  
Mercedes Ovejero ◽  
Guillermo Lahera

Social cognition might be impaired in first degree relatives (FDR) of BD but existing research shows controversial results about social cognitive impairments in this population. The aim of this study was to assess Theory of Mind (ToM) and nonverbal sensitivity in FDR of BD and compare the results with those of two groups of persons with remitted bipolar disorder (BD), type I and II, and a control group. Social cognitive ability was examined in first degree relatives of BD, with a biological parent, offspring or sibling diagnosed with the disorder. For this study, 37 FDRs of bipolar patients, 37 BD I, 40 BD II and 40 control participants were recruited. Social cognition was explored by means of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and the MiniPONS. Results showed a significant impairment in FDR of BD in the ToM task, but not in nonverbal sensitivity. Performance of FDRs in social cognition is better than that of BDs (either type I or type II) but worse when compared with that of healthy individuals without a family history of psychiatric disorders. Nevertheless, no differences were found between BD I and BD II groups. Males and older participants showed a worse performance in all groups. Group family therapy with FDRs of BD might include training in the recognition of nonverbal cues, which might increase the understanding of their familiars with BD, in order to modify communication abilities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 385-393
Author(s):  
Amit Kumar Pal ◽  
Sagarika Ray ◽  
Jishnu Bhattacharya

Background: Bipolar affective disorder is an episodic illness characterized by fluctuating mood states. Association of dermatoglyphic traits with bipolar affective disorder has been observed in various studies. This study was undertaken to evaluate epidermal ridge patterns in bipolar patients as compared to healthy controls attending a super speciality district hospital in West Bengal. Context and purpose of study: Establishing dermatoglyphic parameters as biomarkers for early diagnosis and consequently, prompt intervention in bipolar affective disorder will ensure a greater scope of recovery, and thus promote a better quality of life for the individual as well as lower the burden of disease for the society. Methods: Quantitative dermatoglyphic parameters namely, Total Finger Ridge Count (TFRC), Total A-B Ridge Count (TABRC), and ATD Angle of 100 bipolar patients were compared to 100 age and gender matched healthy controls. Results: Statistically significant differences were found on comparing the dermatoglyphic parameters between cases and controls. TFRC was found to be decreased while ATD angle was increased in bipolar cases, as compared to the control group. However, no significant change was observed in TABRC between the two groups. Conclusions: This study found a significant association between dermatoglyphic pattern anomalies and the development of bipolarity. This may offer a scope of primordial prevention of bipolar disorder in future. Key words: Dermatoglyphics, ridge pattern, bipolar disorder, Total Finger Ridge Count (TFRC), Total A-B Ridge Count (TABRC), ATD angle.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Dalkner ◽  
Jolana Wagner-Skacel ◽  
Michaela Ratzenhofer ◽  
Frederike Fellendorf ◽  
Melanie Lenger ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, a global health crisis, has resulted in widespread socioeconomic restrictions including lockdown, social distancing, and self-isolation. To date, little is known about the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on patients with bipolar disorder as a particularly vulnerable group. Methods An online survey was conducted in Austria at two points of measurement (T1 April 2020 during the first lockdown vs. T2 May 2020 at post-lockdown). The sample comprises 20 patients with bipolar disorder (mean age = 49.4 ± 15.6 years) and 20 healthy controls (mean age = 32.7 ± 9.6 years). A 2 × 2 factorial design to compare two time points (T1 vs. T2) and two groups (patients vs. healthy controls) was used. Main outcome measures included the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) and a (non-validated and non-standardized) assessment to determine COVID-19 fears and emotional distress due to social distancing. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to assess the longitudinal association of COVID-19 fears/emotional distress due to social distancing during lockdown (T1) and psychological symptoms after lockdown (T2). Results At T1, results demonstrated higher scores in BSI-18 subscales depression, anxiety and global severity index as well as emotional distress due to social distancing in bipolar patients compared to controls. There was a significant time x group interaction in the BSI-18 subscale somatization showing a decreasing trend in patients with BD compared to controls. No time effects in BSI-18 subscales or COVID-19 fears/emotional distress due to social distancing were observed. Regression analyses showed that COVID-19 fears during lockdown predicted somatization, only in patients. Conclusions There was a connection between the lockdown measures and somatization symptoms observed in patients. When the first steps of easing the social restrictions in May 2020 took place, somatization decreased only in the bipolar compared to the control group. Higher COVID-19 fears during lockdown predicted later symptoms at post-lockdown. Long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic need further investigations to improve current therapeutic approaches and prevent fears and distress during lockdown in individuals with bipolar disorder in times of crisis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 518-523
Author(s):  
Rugül Köse Çinar

Objective: Neuroserpin is a serine protease inhibitor predominantly expressed in the nervous system functioning mainly in neuronal migration and axonal growth. Neuroprotective effects of neuroserpin were shown in animal models of stroke, brain, and spinal cord injury. Postmortem studies confirmed the involvement of neuroserpin in Alzheimer’s disease. Since altered adult neurogenesis was postulated as an aetiological mechanism for bipolar disorder, the possible effect of neuroserpin gene expression in the disorder was evaluated. Methods: Neuroserpin mRNA expression levels were examined in the peripheral blood of bipolar disorder type I manic and euthymic patients and healthy controls using the polymerase chain reaction method. The sample comprised of 60 physically healthy, middle-aged men as participants who had no substance use disorder. Results: The gene expression levels of neuroserpin were found lower in the bipolar disorder patients than the healthy controls (p=0.000). The neuroserpin levels did not differ between mania and euthymia (both 96% down-regulated compared to the controls). Conclusion: Since we detected differences between the patients and the controls, not the disease states, the dysregulation in the neuroserpin gene could be interpreted as a result of the disease itself.


2020 ◽  
pp. 025371762097528
Author(s):  
Velprashanth Venkatesan ◽  
Christoday R J Khess ◽  
Umesh Shreekantiah ◽  
Nishant Goyal ◽  
K. K. Kshitiz

Background: Patients with bipolar disorder demonstrate increased sensitivity to appetitive/rewarding stimuli even during euthymia. On presentation of arousing pictures, they show a peculiar response, suggesting heightened vigilance. While responding to looming arousing cues, studies show subjects with anxiety spectrum disorders exhibit increased reaction time (RT), explained by the “looming-vulnerability model.” This study aimed to investigate the responses to looming arousing cues in euthymic bipolar patients and their first-degree relatives, as compared to healthy controls. Method: A looming appetitive and aversive cue paradigm was designed for assessing the RT of patients to process appetitive and aversive cues. The behavioral inhibition/activation and sensitivity to reward/punishment amongst the groups were also assessed. Results: The bipolar group showed significantly longer RT to process appetitive cues irrespective of the looming condition. Aversive cues elicited significantly longer RT in both the bipolar group and in first-degree relatives, but only when presented with the looming condition. Significant looming bias was elicited in the bipolar group which suggested a particular cognitive style to looming cues. A composite measure of RT along with sensitivity to reward/punishment distinguishes the bipolar group and their first-degree relatives from the healthy controls. Conclusion: The looming vulnerability model may provide important insights for future exploration of cognitive endophenotypes in bipolar disorder.


2002 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 988-988
Author(s):  
Tamas Zonda ◽  
David Lester

Type I bipolar patients in Budapest were reported to have type O blood more often and types A and B blood less often than Type II bipolar patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (10) ◽  
pp. S259
Author(s):  
Laagishan Yoganathan ◽  
Manpreet Sehmbi ◽  
Luciano Minuzzi ◽  
Benicio N. Frey ◽  
Nicholas A. Bock

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mi Yang ◽  
Shan Gao ◽  
Xiangyang Zhang

Abstract Cognitive impairment is viewed as a core symptom of schizophrenia (SCZ), but its pathophysiological mechanism remains unclear. White matter (WM) disruption is considered to be a central abnormality that may contribute to cognitive impairment in SCZ patients. However, few studies have addressed the association between cognition and WM integrity in never-treated first-episode (NTFE) patients with SCZ. In this study, we used the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) to evaluate cognitive function in NTFE patients (n = 39) and healthy controls (n = 30), and associated it with whole-brain fractional anisotropy (FA) values obtained via voxel-based diffusion tensor imaging. We found that FA was lower in five brain areas of SCZ patients, including the cingulate gyrus, internal capsule, corpus callosum, cerebellum, and brainstem. Compared with the healthy control group, the MCCB’s total score and 8 out of 10 subscores were significantly lower in NTFE patients (all p < 0.001). Moreover, in patients but not healthy controls, the performance in the Trail Making Test was negatively correlated with the FA value in the left cingulate. Our findings provide evidence that WM disconnection is involved in some cognitive impairment in the early course of SCZ.


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