Increased subgenual cingulate cortex volume in pediatric bipolar disorder associated with mood stabilizer exposure

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Radiology

Background:

• The subgenual cingulate (SGC) cortex plays a role in mood disorder pathophysiology.
• Understanding SGC morphometrics in pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate SGC cortical volumes in pediatric familial BD.
• Compare SGC morphometry between youth with BD and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• High-resolution anatomical MRI was used for 20 pediatric BD patients and 20 matched healthy controls.
• Manual tracings determined SGC cortex volumes by a blinded, reliable rater.
• ANCOVA, controlling for gray matter volume and age, analyzed the data.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in SGC volumes were observed between pediatric BD subjects and healthy controls.
• BD subjects with prior mood stabilizer exposure exhibited significantly larger SGC volumes than those without.
• This volume increase was primarily attributed to larger bilateral posterior SGC regions.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric familial BD is not associated with SGC volume abnormalities.
• Mood stabilizer medication may correlate with increased SGC volume in youth with BD.