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Updated: Jul 6, 2026
High-resolution In Vivo Manual Segmentation Protocol for Human Hippocampal Subfields Using 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: November 10, 2015
Three-dimensional mapping of hippocampal anatomy in adolescents with bipolar disorder
Carrie E Bearden1, Jair C Soares2, Andrea D Klunder2
1Dr. Bearden is with the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles; Dr. Soares and Mr. Nicoletti are with the Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine; Ms. Klunder, Ms. Hayashi, and Drs. Narr and Thompson are with the Laboratory of NeuroImaging, UCLA School of Medicine; Ms. Dierschke is with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio; Dr. Brambilla is with the Scientific Institute IRCCS; Dr. Sassi is with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine; Drs. Axelson, Ryan, and Birmaher are with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine..
Objective:
Early-onset bipolar disorder is thought to be a particularly severe variant of the illness. Continuity with the adult form of illness remains unresolved, but preliminary evidence suggests similar biological underpinnings. Recently, we observed localized hippocampal decreases in unmedicated adults with bipolar disorder that were not detectable with conventional volumetric measures. Using the same three-dimensional mapping methods, we sought to investigate whether a similar pattern exists in adolescents with bipolar disorder.
Method:
High-resolution brain magnetic resonance images were acquired from 16 adolescents meeting DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder (mean age 15.5 +/- 3.4 years, 50% female) and 20 demographically matched, typically developing control subjects. Three-dimensional parametric mesh models of the hippocampus were created from manual tracings of the hippocampal formation.
Results:
Controlling for total brain volume, total hippocampal volume was significantly smaller in adolescent patients with bipolar disorder relative to controls (by 9.2%). Statistical mapping results, confirmed by permutation testing, revealed significant localized deformations in the head and tail of the left hippocampus in adolescents with bipolar disorder, relative to normal controls. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between hippocampal size and age in patients with bipolar disorder, whereas healthy controls showed an inverse relation.
Discussion:
Localized hippocampal deficits in adolescent patients with bipolar disorder suggest a possible neural correlate for memory deficits observed in this illness. Moreover, age-related increases in hippocampal size in patients with bipolar disorder, not observed in healthy controls, may reflect abnormal developmental mechanisms in bipolar disorder. This possibility must be confirmed by longitudinal studies.
