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Altered regional homogeneity in pediatric bipolar disorder during manic state: a resting-state fMRI study
Qian Xiao1, Yuan Zhong, Dali Lu
1Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Mental Health Institute of The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Insights
Resting-state fMRI reveals altered brain activity in pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) during manic states. These findings highlight abnormalities in cognitive and affective circuits, offering insights into PBD
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) is a severe mental illness with distinct manic and depressive episodes.
- Previous research on PBD primarily used task-based fMRI, leaving resting-state brain activity under-explored.
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) offers potential for identifying neurobiological biomarkers in PBD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate regional brain activity abnormalities in pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) during a manic state using resting-state fMRI.
- To explore potential neurobiological markers associated with the severity of manic symptoms in PBD.
Main Methods:
- Regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis was performed on resting-state fMRI (RS-fMRI) data.
- The study included 15 patients diagnosed with PBD in a manic state and 15 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
- Correlation analysis was used to link ReHo measurements with the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) scores.
Main Results:
- Patients with PBD exhibited altered ReHo in both cortical and subcortical brain regions compared to healthy controls.
- In the PBD group, ReHo in the superior frontal gyrus showed a negative correlation with YMRS scores.
- Positive correlations between ReHo and YMRS scores were observed in the hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex.
Conclusions:
- Altered regional brain activity is evident in pediatric bipolar disorder patients during manic episodes.
- The study provides evidence for disruptions in ventral-affective and dorsal-cognitive circuits in PBD during resting state.
- These findings contribute to understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying pediatric bipolar disorder.
Unlabelled:
Pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) is a severely debilitating illness, which is characterized by episodes of mania and depression separated by periods of remission. Previous fMRI studies investigating PBD were mainly task-related. However, little is known about the abnormalities in PBD, especially during resting state. Resting state brain activity measured by fMRI might help to explore neurobiological biomarkers of the disorder.
Methods:
Regional homogeneity (ReHo) was examined with resting-state fMRI (RS-fMRI) on 15 patients with PBD in manic state, with 15 age-and sex-matched healthy youth subjects as controls.
Results:
Compared with the healthy controls, the patients with PBD showed altered ReHo in the cortical and subcortical structures. The ReHo measurement of the PBD group was negatively correlated with the score of Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) in the superior frontal gyrus. Positive correlations between the ReHo measurement and the score of YMRS were found in the hippocampus and the anterior cingulate cortex in the PBD group.
Conclusions:
Altered regional brain activity is present in patients with PBD during manic state. This study presents new evidence for abnormal ventral-affective and dorsal-cognitive circuits in PBD during resting state and may add fresh insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying PBD.
