Neuroimaging distinction between neurological and psychiatric disorders

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neuroscience
• Medical Research

Background:

• The biological basis for distinguishing neurological and psychiatric disorders remains unclear.
• Investigating neuroimaging data can elucidate potential biological differences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze neuroimaging evidence differentiating neurological and psychiatric disorders.
• To compare brain alterations and network involvement in both disorder types.

Main Methods:

• Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies.
• Inclusion of 14 neurological and 10 psychiatric disorders with reported grey matter reduction.
• Comparative analysis of regional and network-level brain alterations.

Main Results:

• Neurological disorders showed greater impairment in basal ganglia, insula, sensorimotor, and temporal cortex.
• Psychiatric disorders exhibited greater impairment in cingulate, medial frontal, superior frontal, and occipital cortex.
• Distinct functional networks were affected, with higher within-class similarity for neurological disorders.

Conclusions:

• Neuroimaging data supports neurological and psychiatric disorders as distinct biological classes.
• Significant differences in brain region and network involvement underscore their separation.
• Findings provide a neuroimaging perspective on the classification of these disorders.