Risk for affective disorders is associated with greater prefrontal gray matter volumes: A prospective longitudinal study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Risk for affective disorders is associated with greater prefrontal gray matter volumes

T2 - A prospective longitudinal study

AU - Macoveanu, Julian

AU - Baaré, William

AU - Madsen, Kristoffer H

AU - Kessing, Lars Vedel

AU - Siebner, Hartwig Roman

AU - Vinberg, Maj

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - Background: Major depression and bipolar disorders aggregates in families and are linked with a wide range of neurobiological abnormalities including cortical gray matter (GM) alterations. Prospective studies of individuals at familial risk may expose the neural mechanisms underlying risk transmission.Methods: We used voxel based morphometry to investigate changes in regional GM brain volume, over a seven-year period, in 37 initially healthy individuals having a mono- or di-zygotic twin diagnosed with major depression or bipolar disorder (high-risk group; mean age 41.6 yrs.) as compared to 36 individuals with no history of affective disorders in the index twin and first-degree relatives (low-risk group; mean age 38.5 yrs.).Results: Groups did not differ in regional GM volume changes over time. However, independent of time, high-risk twins had significantly greater GM volumes in bilateral dorsal anterior cingulate, inferior frontal gyrus and temporoparietal regions as compared to low-risk twins. Further, individuals who developed an affective disorder at follow-up (n = 12), had relatively the largest GM volumes, both at baseline and follow-up, in the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and right inferior frontal cortex compared to high- and low-risk twins who remained well at follow-up.Conclusion: This pattern of apparently stable grater regional GM volume may constitute a neural marker of an increased risk for developing an affective disorder in individuals at familial risk.

AB - Background: Major depression and bipolar disorders aggregates in families and are linked with a wide range of neurobiological abnormalities including cortical gray matter (GM) alterations. Prospective studies of individuals at familial risk may expose the neural mechanisms underlying risk transmission.Methods: We used voxel based morphometry to investigate changes in regional GM brain volume, over a seven-year period, in 37 initially healthy individuals having a mono- or di-zygotic twin diagnosed with major depression or bipolar disorder (high-risk group; mean age 41.6 yrs.) as compared to 36 individuals with no history of affective disorders in the index twin and first-degree relatives (low-risk group; mean age 38.5 yrs.).Results: Groups did not differ in regional GM volume changes over time. However, independent of time, high-risk twins had significantly greater GM volumes in bilateral dorsal anterior cingulate, inferior frontal gyrus and temporoparietal regions as compared to low-risk twins. Further, individuals who developed an affective disorder at follow-up (n = 12), had relatively the largest GM volumes, both at baseline and follow-up, in the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and right inferior frontal cortex compared to high- and low-risk twins who remained well at follow-up.Conclusion: This pattern of apparently stable grater regional GM volume may constitute a neural marker of an increased risk for developing an affective disorder in individuals at familial risk.

KW - Adult

KW - Analysis of Variance

KW - Gray Matter/diagnostic imaging

KW - Humans

KW - Image Processing, Computer-Assisted

KW - Longitudinal Studies

KW - Magnetic Resonance Imaging

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Mood Disorders/diagnostic imaging

KW - Prefrontal Cortex/pathology

KW - Prospective Studies

KW - Psychiatric Status Rating Scales

KW - Risk

KW - Time Factors

KW - Twins/genetics

U2 - 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.12.011

DO - 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.12.011

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 29527486

SN - 2213-1582

VL - 17

SP - 786

EP - 793

JO - NeuroImage: Clinical

JF - NeuroImage: Clinical

ER -