Psychiatry Investig.  2015 Jul;12(3):367-371. 10.4306/pi.2015.12.3.367.

Microstructural Changes of Anterior Corona Radiata in Bipolar Depression

• Karababa I
• Bayazit H
• Kilicaslan N
• Celik M
• Cece H
• Karakas E
• Selek S

• KMID: 2316498
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2015.12.3.367

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
In bipolar disorder, dysregulation of mood may result from white matter abnormalities that change fiber tract length and fiber density. There are few studies evaluating the white matter microstructural changes in bipolar I patients (BD) with depressive episodes. The present study aimed to evaluate anterior corona radiata in BD patients with depressive episode using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI).
METHODS
Twenty-one patients with bipolar depression and 19 healthy controls were investigated and groups were matched for age and gender. Diffusion-weighted echoplanar brain images (DW-EPI) were obtained using a 1.5 T MRI scanner. Regions of interest (ROIs) were manually placed on directional maps based on principal anisotropy. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values of white matter were measured in the anterior corona radiata (ACR) bilaterally by diffusion tensor imaging.
RESULTS
There was not a significant difference between groups of age and gender (p>0.05). Significantly lower FA was observed in bilateral ACR in bipolar patients with depression compared with healthy individuals. And there is significantly higher ADC values in the left frontal corona radiate in bipolar patients.
CONCLUSION
White matter abnormalities can be detected in patients with BD using DTI. The neuropathology of these abnormalities is unclear, but neuronal and axonal loss, myelin abnormalities and reduced white matter fiber density are likely to be relevant.

Keyword

Diffusion tensor imaging; Anterior corona radiate; Bipolar disorder; Depression; White matter

MeSH Terms

Anisotropy
Axons
Bipolar Disorder*
Brain
Depression
Diffusion
Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Myelin Sheath
Neurons