Liang Junfan, Fan Rui, Guo Xinyin, Liu Hua, Li Xuehua, Yuan Jixiang, Liu Kezhi, Liang Xuemei, Xiang Bo
Department of Psychiatry, Fundamental and Clinical Research On Mental Disorders Key Laboratory of Luzhou, Laboratory of Neurological Diseases & Brain Function, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China.
Neijiang Second People's Hospital, Neijiang, Sichuan Province, China.
Brain Imaging Behav. 2025 May 31. doi: 10.1007/s11682-025-01019-4.
The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying suicidal ideation and decreased cognitive function in bipolar depression remain elusive. This study sought to elucidate the potential neuroanatomical basis of these phenomena using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). 40 patients experiencing bipolar depressive episodes were enrolled, comprising 20 individuals with suicidal ideation (BDSI +), 20 without suicidal ideation (BDSI-), and 20 healthy controls (HCs), all of whom underwent DTI scanning. Clinical assessments primarily utilized the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI) and the Trail Making Test (TMT). Differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) values among the groups were compared using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS). The identified differential brain regions were designated as regions of interest (ROIs), and covariance analysis was employed to compare the FA values among the three groups. Partial correlation analyses were conducted between the FA values in the ROIs and clinical symptoms. Differences in brain regions identified through TBSS were observed in the genu of the corpus callosum and the left anterior corona radiata (p < 0.05). Covariance analysis revealed that the BDSI + group exhibited significantly lower FA values in these regions compared to the HCs (p < 0.05). Partial correlation analyses showed that the FA values in the genu of corpus callosum were negatively correlated with BSSI scores (r = -0.592, p = 0.026) and TMT-A scores (r = -0.642, p = 0.013). The findings from this study suggest that alterations in the connectivity of the genu of the corpus callosum may relate to suicidal ideation and visuospatial function in patients with bipolar depression.
双相抑郁症中自杀意念和认知功能下降背后的病理生理机制仍不清楚。本研究旨在使用弥散张量成像（DTI）阐明这些现象潜在的神经解剖学基础。招募了40名经历双相抑郁发作的患者，包括20名有自杀意念的个体（BDSI+）、20名无自杀意念的个体（BDSI-）和20名健康对照者（HCs），所有参与者均接受了DTI扫描。临床评估主要使用贝克自杀意念量表（BSSI）和连线测验（TMT）。使用基于纤维束的空间统计学（TBSS）比较各组间的各向异性分数（FA）值。将识别出的差异脑区指定为感兴趣区（ROIs），并采用协方差分析比较三组间的FA值。对ROIs中的FA值与临床症状进行偏相关分析。通过TBSS识别出在胼胝体膝部和左侧放射冠前部存在脑区差异（p<0.05）。协方差分析显示，与HCs相比，BDSI+组在这些区域的FA值显著更低（p<0.05）。偏相关分析表明，胼胝体膝部的FA值与BSSI评分呈负相关（r=-0.592，p=0.026）以及与TMT-A评分呈负相关（r=-0.642，p=0.013）。本研究结果表明，胼胝体膝部连接性的改变可能与双相抑郁症患者的自杀意念和视觉空间功能有关。
