Different patterns of white matter microstructural alterations between psychotic and non-psychotic bipolar disorder

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 17; no. 3; p. e0265671
• Main Authors: Lee, Dong-Kyun, Lee, Hyeongrae, Ryu, Vin, Kim, Sung-Wan, Ryu, Seunghyong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 18.03.2022; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Analysis; Anatomy; Anisotropy; Biology and Life Sciences; Bipolar disorder; Bipolar Disorder - diagnostic imaging; Bipolar Disorder - pathology; Brain; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - pathology; Cerebral hemispheres; Cingulum; Corona; Corpus callosum; Diagnosis; Diffusion; Diffusion Tensor Imaging - methods; Fornix; Hemispheric laterality; Humans; Magnetic resonance; Magnetic resonance imaging; Medical research; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mental disorders; Mental health; Microstructure; Neural networks; Physical Sciences; Psychosis; Research and Analysis Methods; Schizophrenia; Substantia alba; Tensors; White Matter - diagnostic imaging; White Matter - pathology; South Korea
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265671
• ISSN: 1932-6203

This study aimed to investigate alterations in white matter (WM) microstructure in patients with psychotic and non-psychotic bipolar disorder (PBD and NPBD, respectively). We used 3T-magnetic resonance imaging to examine 29 PBD, 23 NPBD, and 65 healthy control (HC) subjects. Using tract-based spatial statistics for diffusion tensor imaging data, we compared fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusion (MD) pairwise among the PBD, NPBD, and HC groups. We found several WM areas of decreased FA or increased MD in the PBD and NPBD groups compared to HC. PBD showed widespread FA decreases in the corpus callosum as well as the bilateral internal capsule and fornix. However, NPBD showed local FA decreases in a part of the corpus callosum body as well as in limited regions within the left cerebral hemisphere, including the anterior and posterior corona radiata and the cingulum. In addition, both PBD and NPBD shared widespread MD increases across the posterior corona radiata, cingulum, and sagittal stratum. These findings suggest that widespread WM microstructural alterations might be a common neuroanatomical characteristic of bipolar disorder, regardless of being psychotic or non-psychotic. Particularly, PBD might involve extensive inter-and intra-hemispheric WM connectivity disruptions.