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Multivariate associations between structural brain changes and cognitive impairment in partially or fully remitted
Johanna Mariegaard Schandorff1, Anne Bügel Fisker Madsen2, Viktoria Damgaard1
1Neurocognition and Emotion Across Disorders of the Brain (NEAD) Centre, Psychiatric Centre Copenhagen, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Hovedvejen 13, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark; Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder (BD) is linked to specific brain structure changes. Altered grey matter volume and thickness in frontotemporal and cingulate regions may indicate dysregulated neuroplasticity, offering potential treatment targets.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with cognitive impairment and brain structure alterations.
- Previous research often used univariate models, limiting understanding of complex brain-cognition relationships in BD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify multivariate associations between brain structure and cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder using canonical correlation analysis (CCA).
Main Methods:
- Included 169 cognitively impaired individuals with BD and 40 healthy controls (HC).
- Utilized structural magnetic resonance imaging and a comprehensive cognitive test battery.
- Applied principal component analysis and CCA to analyze brain structure-cognition relationships in the BD cohort.
Main Results:
- Poorer cognitive performance in working memory, psychomotor speed, executive functions, and verbal learning correlated with reduced grey matter volume in frontotemporal regions, right hippocampus, and left caudate nucleus.
- These cognitive deficits also correlated with increased frontotemporal and right posterior cingulate gyral thickness.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that cognitive impairment in BD stems from dysregulated neuroplasticity, not just reduced plasticity.
- Aberrant grey matter volume and cortical thickness in frontotemporal and posterior cingulate regions represent potential therapeutic targets for cognitive enhancement in BD.
