Are subcortical regions too expansive in bipolar disorder? An examination of the nature of prefrontal corticolimbic abnormalities in individuals with bipolar disorder

Neurobiology of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder ◽

10.1093/med/9780190908096.003.0010 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 141-154

Author(s):

Francisco Romo-Nava ◽

Susan L. McElroy

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Neuronal Network ◽

Intracellular Signaling ◽

Circadian System ◽

Medical Comorbidities ◽

Subcortical Regions ◽

Spinal Afferents ◽

New Evidence ◽

The Brain

As frequently occurs in science, progress made on the neurobiology of bipolar disorder has followed a nonlinear course that often revisits deserted concepts. The neurobiological blueprint of bipolar disorder continues to unfold from a neurotransmitter-based hypothesis to include peptides and intracellular signaling pathways, and into a broader neuronal network perspective that involves cortical and subcortical regions in the brain. Moreover, new evidence makes it increasingly clear that the mechanisms of disease in bipolar disorder extend beyond the brain, providing plausible “missing links” between psychopathology and the elevated medical comorbidities. This is illustrated by the expanding role of the circadian system in bipolar disorder and the emerging evidence on the contribution of spinal afferents to the construct of mood, portraying that brain–body communication pathways are relevant to the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. This chapter provides an overview of the current and emerging neurobiological frameworks for bipolar disorder.

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Structural and metabolic cerebral alterations between elderly bipolar disorder and behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia: A combined MRI-PET study

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0004867418815976 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 53 (5) ◽

pp. 413-423 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Giuseppe Delvecchio ◽

Gian Mario Mandolini ◽

Andrea Arighi ◽

Cecilia Prunas ◽

Carlo Massimo Mauri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Frontotemporal Dementia ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Temporal Cortex ◽

Positron Emission ◽

Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽

Subcortical Regions ◽

First Time

Background: Elderly bipolar disorder (BD) and behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) may exhibit similar symptoms and both disorders are characterized by selective abnormalities in cortical and subcortical regions that are associated with cognitive and emotional impairments. We aimed to investigate common and distinct neural substrates of BD and bvFTD by coupling, for the first time, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) techniques. Methods: 3-Tesla MRI and 18 fluorodeoxyglucose–PET scans were acquired for 16 elderly BD patients, 23 bvFTD patients with mild cognitive impairments and 68 healthy controls (48 for PET and 20 for MRI analyses). Results: BD and bvFTD patients exhibit a different localization of grey matter reductions in the lateral prefrontal cortex, with the first group showing grey matter decrease in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the latter group showing grey matter reductions in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as well as unique grey matter and metabolic alterations within the orbitofrontal cortex. The bvFTD group also displayed unique volumetric shrinkage in regions within the temporo-parietal network together with greater metabolic impairments within the temporal cortex and more extensive volumetric and metabolic abnormalities within the limbic lobe. Finally, while the BD group showed greater grey matter volumes in caudate nucleus, bvFTD subjects displayed lower metabolism. Conclusion: This MRI-PET study explored, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, structural and functional abnormalities in bvFTD and elderly BD patients, with the final aim of identifying the specific biological signature of these disorders, which might have important implications not only in prevention but also in differential diagnosis and treatment.

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Dysfunctional connectivity between raphe nucleus and subcortical regions presented opposite differences in bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.12.017 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 92 ◽

pp. 76-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Shaoqiang Han ◽

Zongling He ◽

Xujun Duan ◽

Qin Tang ◽

Yuyan Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Depressive Disorder ◽

Raphe Nucleus ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Subcortical Regions

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Initial evidence for the role of CACNA1C on subcortical brain morphology in patients with bipolar disorder

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2010.10.004 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 135-137 ◽

Cited By ~ 62

Author(s):

E. Perrier ◽

F. Pompei ◽

G. Ruberto ◽

E. Vassos ◽

D. Collier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Risk Allele ◽

Anatomical Variation ◽

Brain Structures ◽

Brain Morphology ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Subcortical Brain ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Subcortical Regions

AbstractBackgroundThe polymorphism rs1006737 within the CACNA1C gene is associated with increased risk for bipolar disorder (BD) and variations in brain morphology and function of subcortical regions. Here we sought to investigate the influence of CACNA1C polymorphism on key subcortical brain structures implicated in the pathophysiology of BD.MethodsStructural magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired from 41 euthymic patients with BD and 40 healthy controls, who were also genotyped for the CACNA1C rs1006737 polymorphism. The effect of diagnosis, genotype and their interaction was examined in predefined volumes of interest in the basal ganglia, hypothalamus and amygdala extracted using SPM5.ResultsCarriers of the CACNA1C rs1006737 risk allele showed increased grey matter density in the right amygdala and right hypothalamus irrespective of diagnosis. An interaction between genotype and diagnosis was observed in the left putamen which was smaller in BD patients carrying the risk allele than in healthy controls.Conclusions:The CACNA1C rs1006737 polymorphism influences anatomical variation within subcortical regions involved in emotional processing.

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