Regional cerebral cortical thinning in bipolar disorder

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to explore differences in cortical thickness between subjects with bipolar disorder and healthy comparison subjects using cortical surface‐based analysis. Methods: Brain magnetic resonance images were acquired from 25 subjects with bipolar disorder and 21 healthy comparison subjects. Cortical surface‐based analysis was conducted using the Freesurfer application. Group differences in cortical thickness, defined by the distance from gray/white boundary to the pial surface, were assessed using statistical difference maps. Results: Subjects with bipolar disorder exhibited significantly decreased cortical thickness in left cingulate cortex, left middle frontal cortex, left middle occipital cortex, right medial frontal cortex, right angular cortex, right fusiform cortex and bilateral postcentral cortices, relative to healthy comparison subjects (all p < 0.001). Duration of illness in bipolar subjects was inversely correlated with the cortical thickness of the left middle frontal cortex. Conclusions: Cortical thinning was present in multiple prefrontal cortices in bipolar disorder. There was also cortical thinning in sensory and sensory association cortices, which has not been reported in previous studies using region‐of‐interest or voxel‐based morphometry methods. Cortical thinning observed in the current study may be related to impairment of emotional, cognitive, and sensory processing in bipolar disorder but longitudinal studies will be necessary to test this hypothesis.

In vivo evaluation of cortical thickness with magnetic resonance imaging in patients with bipolar disorder

“…In the left hemisphere, significant decreases in cortical thickness were observed in the middle frontal cortex (2. Lyoo et al (2006) found a significant reduction in the posterior cingulate in patients with bipolar disorder, including both males and females, we found nonsignificant cortical thinning in the male group but significant thickening in the female group.…”

“…Other regions showed differences in cortical thickness, but these differences were not significant (p > .05). Lyoo et al (2006) also used a surface-based reconstruction algorithm and found significant cortical thinning in bipolar disorder patients. In the left hemisphere, significant decreases in cortical thickness were observed in the middle frontal cortex (2.…”

“…Measurement of cortical thickness may provide important insights into the specific characterization of neuroanatomical changes in this disease. Thickness changes in multiple prefrontal cortices have been found in patients with bipolar disorder (Lyoo et al, 2006).…”

Homocysteine and other markers of cardiovascular risk during a manic episode in patients with bipolar disorder

“…Mood symptoms were assessed with the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) 20 and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), 21-item version. 21 All raters were trained to administer the scales; the results were assessed for inter-rater reliability. After inclusion and initial evaluation, patients were followed up with weekly screenings until remission of manic symptoms, at which point they were reassessed and blood sampling was carried out again.…”

Right fronto-parietal dysfunction underlying spatial attention in bipolar disorder

“…However, a right hemisphere involvement in BD has been suggested by findings of decreased gray matter volume in right prefrontal and parietal lobes (Lyoo et al, 2004;Adler et al, 2005) as well as cortical thinning in right superior parietal areas (Lyoo et al, 2006). In addition, neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies revealed atypical functional brain organization, particularly involving the right hemisphere rather than the left (e.g., Grisaru et al, 1998;Rubinsztein et al, 2001;Townsend et al, 2010).…”