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Published on: September 8, 2021
Relationship between age at onset and magnetic resonance image-defined hyperintensities in mood disorders
1Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
Objectives:
To examine in patients with mood disorders the relationship of age at onset with the location and degree of MRI-defined brain hyperintensities.
Method:
Fifty-two patients diagnosed as having mood disorders and 14 controls participated in the study. Brain MR images were analyzed according to semiquantitative ratings for the anatomical distribution and severity of T2-weighted hyperintensities. We compared these hyperintensities among the three age- and sex-matched groups of late-onset mood disorder patients (LOM), early-onset mood disorder patients (EOM), and controls. The time since the onset of disorder was significantly longer in the EOM than in the LOM group. We also conducted linear multiple regression analysis using the severity of hyperintensities as dependent variable to determine whether the clinical features correlate with vascular pathology.
Results:
As for deep white matter hyperintensity (DWMH), LOM exhibited higher ratings than EOM; as for brain areas, significant between-group differences were detected in the bilateral frontal areas and in the left parieto-occipital area. No significant difference was observed between EOM and controls. As for periventricular hyperintensity, there was no difference among the three groups. We obtained a significant regression model to predict DWMH ratings; age, number of ECTs, and LOM were selected as significant variables.
Conclusion:
The present study suggests that the time since the onset of disorder does not affect the development of white matter lesions, but that white matter lesions are associated with late-onset mood disorders. The frontal areas and the left parieto-occipital area would be important for the development of late-onset mood disorders.
Insights
Late-onset mood disorders are linked to white matter lesions, particularly in frontal and left parieto-occipital brain areas. The time since disorder onset does not influence lesion development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Psychiatry
- Neurology
Background:
- Mood disorders are associated with various neurological changes.
- Brain hyperintensities, detected via MRI, are a common finding in neurological studies.
- Understanding the relationship between mood disorder onset and brain pathology is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between age at onset of mood disorders and the characteristics of MRI-defined brain hyperintensities.
- To compare brain hyperintensities in early-onset mood disorder (EOM) patients, late-onset mood disorder (LOM) patients, and controls.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-two mood disorder patients and 14 controls underwent brain MRI.
- T2-weighted hyperintensities were semiquantitatively rated for location and severity.
- Comparisons were made between LOM, EOM, and control groups; regression analysis explored clinical feature correlations.
Main Results:
- Late-onset mood disorder patients showed higher deep white matter hyperintensity (DWMH) ratings than early-onset patients.
- Significant differences in hyperintensities were found in frontal and left parieto-occipital areas.
- Age, ECTs, and LOM status were significant predictors of DWMH ratings.
Conclusions:
- White matter lesions are associated with late-onset mood disorders, not necessarily the duration since onset.
- Frontal and left parieto-occipital brain regions are implicated in the development of late-onset mood disorders.
