Bauer Isabelle E, Sanches Marsal, Suchting Robert, Green Charles E, El Fangary Nadia M, Zunta-Soares Giovana B, Soares Jair C
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Houston, TX, USA.
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Houston, TX, USA.
J Psychiatr Res. 2014 Dec;59:200-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.08.023. Epub 2014 Sep 10.
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a devastating disorder with a strong genetic component. While the frontolimbic profile of individuals suffering from BD is relatively well-established, there is still disagreement over the neuroanatomical features of unaffected BD offspring.
Brain volumetric measures were obtained for 82 children and adolescents including 18 unaffected BD offspring (10.50 ± 3.37 years), 19 BD offspring suffering from psychiatric disorders (12.87 ± 3.28 years) and 45 healthy controls (HC-10.50 ± 3.37 years). Clinical diagnoses were established according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria. Cortical reconstruction and volumetric segmentation were performed with the Freesurfer image analysis suite. Profile analyses compared frontolimbic volumes across groups. Age, gender, testing site, ethnicity and intracranial volume were entered as covariates.
The right amygdala was significantly larger in unaffected BD offspring compared to BD offspring with psychiatric disorders and HC. Volumes of striatal, hippocampal, cingulate, and temporal regions were comparable across groups.
The size of the amygdala may be a marker of disease susceptibility in offspring of BD parents. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine rates of conversion to BD as related to specific pre-morbid brain abnormalities.
双相情感障碍（BD）是一种具有强大遗传成分的破坏性疾病。虽然BD患者的额颞叶特征相对已明确，但对于未患病的BD后代的神经解剖学特征仍存在分歧。
对82名儿童和青少年进行脑容量测量，其中包括18名未患病的BD后代（10.50±3.37岁）、19名患有精神疾病的BD后代（12.87±3.28岁）和45名健康对照（HC - 10.50±3.37岁）。根据《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》（DSM - IV）标准进行临床诊断。使用Freesurfer图像分析套件进行皮质重建和容量分割。轮廓分析比较了各组之间的额颞叶体积。将年龄、性别、测试地点、种族和颅内体积作为协变量纳入分析。
与患有精神疾病的BD后代和健康对照相比，未患病的BD后代右侧杏仁核明显更大。纹状体、海马体、扣带回和颞叶区域的体积在各组之间相当。
杏仁核的大小可能是BD父母后代疾病易感性的一个标志。需要进行纵向研究以检查与特定病前脑异常相关的BD转化率。
