Evaluation of brain white matter fiber changes in bipolar disorder and its usefulness for early diagnosis

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K10226
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Nippon Medical School
• Principal Investigator: Shimoda Kengo 日本医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (30277529)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 木村 真人 日本医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (50186334)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 双極性感情障害 / 双極スペクトラム障害 / 拡散テンソルMRI / 白質変化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We compared the white matter changes in patients with mood disorders using diffusion tensor MRI images. A comparison of bipolar spectrum disorder (BSD) proposed by Ghaemi, which is a bipolar disorder in a broad sense, and bipolar disorder showed changes in the white matter structure of the anterior thalamic radiations in both BSD and BP. Only BP had a significant decrease in fiber density and white matter integrity in the anterior thalamic radiations. Moreover, in the comparison between unipolar major depression and BP, the white matter integrity change of the right anterior thalamic radiations was significantly observed in the BP group. This suggests that white matter changes in the anterior thalamus may be a marker specific to BP.. In addition, the analysis by graph theory showed that BP had more significant network disorders than MDD, suggesting that BP and MDD have different underlying pathologies.

Free Research Field

精神医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

双極性障害における前視床放線の白質変化を指摘している報告はいくつかあるが。われわれは光トポグラフィー検査で双極性障害を示唆する患者について双極スペクトラム障害と双極性障害の白質繊維の変化を比較した点が特筆できる。光トポグラフィーとともに拡散テンソルMRIを行うことで双極スペクトラム障害との鑑別が可能となり双極性障害の診断が確実になると考えている。また単極性うつ病，双極スペクトラム障害との比較から双極スペクトラム障害は双極性障害の変化と類似し前駆段階である可能性も示唆され，今後双極スペクトラム障害の状態から先を見据えた治療を行える可能性がある。