Niklaus Denier1, Sebastian Walther1, Christoph Schneider1, Andrea Federspiel2, Roland Wiest3, Tobias Bracht4. 1. University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. 2. Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. 3. Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. 4. University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: tobias.bracht@upd.unibe.ch.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The supero-lateral medial forebrain bundle (slMFB) and the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) play a core role in reward anticipation and motivational processes. In this study, the slMFB and the ATR were investigated in a group of depressed bipolar disorder (BD) and in healthy controls (HC) using tract length as a measure of fibre geometry and fractional anisotropy (FA) as a measure of white matter microstructure. We hypothesized reduced tract length and FA of the slMFB and the ATR in BD. We expect alterations to be driven by the melancholic subtype. METHODS: Nineteen depressed patients with BD and 19 HC matched for age and gender underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based tractography was used to reconstruct bilateral slMFB and ATR. Mean tract length and FA were computed for the slMFB and the ATR. Mixed-model ANCOVAs and post-hoc ANCOVAs, controlling for age and intracranial volume, were used to compare tract length and FA of bilateral slMFB and ATR between HC and BD and between HC and subgroups with melancholic and non-melancholic symptoms. RESULTS: In BD we found a significantly shortened tract length of the right slMFB and ATR in BD compared to HC. Subgroup analyses showed that these findings were driven by the melancholic subgroup. Mean-FA did not differ between HC and BD. LIMITATIONS: Sample size CONCLUSIONS: Tract length of the right slMFB and the right ATR is reduced in BD. Those changes of fibre geometry are driven by the melancholic subtype.
BACKGROUND: The supero-lateral medial forebrain bundle (slMFB) and the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) play a core role in reward anticipation and motivational processes. In this study, the slMFB and the ATR were investigated in a group of depressed bipolar disorder (BD) and in healthy controls (HC) using tract length as a measure of fibre geometry and fractional anisotropy (FA) as a measure of white matter microstructure. We hypothesized reduced tract length and FA of the slMFB and the ATR in BD. We expect alterations to be driven by the melancholic subtype. METHODS: Nineteen depressedpatients with BD and 19 HC matched for age and gender underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based tractography was used to reconstruct bilateral slMFB and ATR. Mean tract length and FA were computed for the slMFB and the ATR. Mixed-model ANCOVAs and post-hoc ANCOVAs, controlling for age and intracranial volume, were used to compare tract length and FA of bilateral slMFB and ATR between HC and BD and between HC and subgroups with melancholic and non-melancholic symptoms. RESULTS: In BD we found a significantly shortened tract length of the right slMFB and ATR in BD compared to HC. Subgroup analyses showed that these findings were driven by the melancholic subgroup. Mean-FA did not differ between HC and BD. LIMITATIONS: Sample size CONCLUSIONS: Tract length of the right slMFB and the right ATR is reduced in BD. Those changes of fibre geometry are driven by the melancholic subtype.
Authors: Leila M Soravia; Niklaus Denier; Franz Moggi; Matthias Grieder; Andrea Federspiel; Raphaela M Tschuemperlin; Hallie M Batschelet; Sabine Vollstädt-Klein; Roland Wiest; Maria Stein; Tobias Bracht Journal: Addict Biol Date: 2022-05 Impact factor: 4.093
Authors: Volker A Coenen; Máté D Döbrössy; Shi Jia Teo; Johanna Wessolleck; Bastian E A Sajonz; Peter C Reinacher; Annette Thierauf-Emberger; Björn Spittau; Jochen Leupold; Dominik von Elverfeldt; Thomas E Schlaepfer; Marco Reisert Journal: Brain Struct Funct Date: 2021-09-05 Impact factor: 3.270
Authors: Julia Schulz; Juliana Zimmermann; Christian Sorg; Aurore Menegaux; Felix Brandl Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2022-09-20 Impact factor: 5.435