White matter microstructural impairments and genetic liability to familial bipolar I disorder

Abstract

Disturbed structural integrity within key intra- and interhemispheric tracts characterises both bipolar disorder and genetic liability for this illness.

784. Structural Dysconnectivity of Key Cognitive and Emotional Hubs in Young People at High Genetic Risk for Bipolar Disorder

“…These regions recapitulate those reported to have reduced WM volume and density, and reductions in fractional anisotropy in prior studies of unaffected relatives of BD patients, 21,22,39,[49][50][51] in addition to those with established BD. 49,[52][53][54][55][56][57][58] The specific involvement of the IFG adds to a converging body of evidence from structural and functional studies of BD. [59][60][61][62][63][64] Likewise, the involvement of the insula adds to a growing number of reports of structural and functional differences in HR cohorts.…”

Emotional and Motivational Processes in Bipolar Disorder: A Neural Network Perspective

“…Furthermore, all but one [180] tractography study showed reduced white matter integrity in the anterior thalamic radiation [181][182][183], which passes through the anterior limb of the internal capsule [184] in depressed, euthymic, and manic patients. In line, reduced white matter integrity in the anterior limb of the internal capsule has also been repeatedly observed in bipolar patients [173,185,186]. Similar, reduced integrity of the uncinate fasciculus, which interconnects the amygdala with the orbitofrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex [187], has also been frequently observed in depressed and euthymic bipolar disorder patients [173,180,182,183,188,189].…”

Biomarkers for bipolar disorder: current insights

“…14,23,24,27 Indeed, low FA was found to correlate with genetic vulnerability to BD as well as with lipid peroxidation markers, suggesting the potential role of oxidative stress in altering white matter microstructure. 15,35 However, white matter findings remain inconsistent, suggesting that further studies are needed to validate its potential use as a biomarker for BD.…”