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Are structural brain abnormalities associated with suicidal behavior in patients with psychotic disorders?
Christoforos I Giakoumatos1, Neeraj Tandon, Jai Shah
1Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. cgiakoum@bidmc.harvard.edu
Journal of Psychiatric Research
|July 23, 2013
Summary
Suicidal behavior in psychotic disorders is linked to reduced gray matter volume in specific brain regions. These structural brain differences may help distinguish suicide attempters from non-attempters.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
Background:
- Suicide is a global health crisis with incompletely understood neurobiological factors.
- Individuals with psychotic disorders have an elevated risk of suicidal behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify brain regions associated with suicidal behavior in patients with psychotic disorders.
- To differentiate between suicide attempters and non-attempters, and high-lethality versus low-lethality attempters.
Main Methods:
- Structural MRI scans were used to measure gray matter volume in 489 patients with psychotic disorders and 262 healthy controls.
- Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) and Hochberg multiple comparison correction were applied to compare groups based on suicide attempt history and lethality.
Main Results:
- Suicide attempters showed significantly less gray matter volume in regions including the temporal cortex, thalamus, insula, and frontal cortex compared to non-attempters.
- High-lethality attempters had smaller volumes in the left lingual gyrus and right cuneus.
- Low-lethality attempters exhibited decreased volumes in the left supramarginal gyrus, thalamus, and right insula.
Conclusions:
- Structural brain abnormalities, specifically reduced gray matter volume in certain regions, may differentiate suicide attempters from non-attempters in psychotic disorders.
- These findings suggest that brain regions involved in inhibition, impulsivity, and sensory perception are implicated in suicidal behavior.
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