The segmented regional volumes of the cerebrum and cerebellum in boys with Tourette syndrome

Neuropathological deficits are an etiological factor in Tourette syndrome (TS), and implicate a network linking the basal ganglia and the cerebrum, not a particular single brain region. In this study, the volumes of 20 cerebral and cerebellar regions and their symmetries were measured in normal boys and TS boys by brain magnetic resonance imaging. Brain magnetic resonance images were obtained prospectively in 19 boys with TS and 17 age-matched normal control boys. Cerebral and cerebellar regions were segmented to gray and white fractions using algorithm for semi-automated fuzzy tissue segmentation. The frontal, parietal, temporal, and the occipital lobes and the cerebellum were defined using the semiautomated Talairach atlas-based parcellation method. Boys with TS had smaller total brain volumes than control subjects. In the gray matter, although the smaller brain volume was taken into account, TS boys had a smaller right frontal lobe and a larger left frontal lobe and increased normal asymmetry (left>right). In addition, TS boys had more frontal lobe white matter. There were no significant differences in regions of interest of the parietal, temporal, or the occipital lobes or the cerebellum. These findings suggest that boys with TS may have neuropathological abnormalities in the gray and the white matter of the frontal lobe.     

抑郁症患者脑电地形图改变对认知功能及与疗效的影响

目的:探讨抑郁症患者额颞叶脑电功率改变与认知功能及疗效的关系。方法:对40例抑郁症患者入院1周内行脑电地形图检查,并和32例正常对照组进行对照分析;同时对患者在治疗前后进行汉密尔顿抑郁量表(HAMD)评定。结果:(1)研究组额叶脑波α1(t=2.243,2.968,3.688,3.918),δ(t=3.639,2.517),θ(t=2.519,3.613,3.730)功率明显高于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);(2)研究组颞叶脑波α2(t=-2.103,-2.944,-3.200,-4.548),α3(t=-3.102,-2.752,-3.047,-4.094),β(t=-3.015,-2.584,-3.842)功率明显低于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);(3)左前额δ波功率与第2周末HAMD减分率有显著负相关(t=-2.429,P0.05);(4)左前额及右前颞β波功率、左前颞δ波功率与第6周末HAMD减分率有显著负相关(t=-2.365,-3.107,-3.979;P0.05);(5)右中颞δ波功率与第6周末HAMD减分率有显著正相关(t=2.248,P0.05)。结论:抑郁症患者存在额颞叶功能损伤影响认知功能;其抗抑郁剂治疗起效时间可能与左前额δ波功率有关;左前额及右前颞β波功率值可作为疗效的观察指标之一。     

Quantitative MRI of the hippocampus and amygdala in severe depression

BACKGROUND: There is little evidence to support possible structural changes in the amygdala and hippocampus of patients with severe depression. METHODS: Quantitative MRI of the amygdala and hippocampus, as well as proton spectroscopy (MRS) of mesial temporal structures were studied in 34 drug-resistant in-patients with major depression and compared with 17 age-matched controls. Volumetric MRI data were normalized for brain size. RESULTS: The volume of the left hippocampus was significantly smaller in the patients compared with the controls. Both groups exhibited similar significant hippocampal asymmetry (left smaller than right). The patients, but not the controls, had significant asymmetry of the amygdalar volumes (right smaller than left). No differences were observed between the patients and controls in the T2 relaxation times for the hippocampus and amygdala. Mesial temporal lobe MRS revealed a significantly elevated choline/creatine ratio in the patients compared with the controls. CONCLUSIONS: This quantitative MRI study provides support for a possible association between structural and biochemical substrates and severe drug-resistant major depression.     

Brain atrophy associated with baseline and longitudinal measures of cognition

The overall goal was to identify patterns of brain atrophy associated with cognitive impairment and future cognitive decline in non-demented elders. Seventy-one participants were studied with structural MRI and neuropsychological testing at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Deformation-based morphometry was used to examine the relationship between regional baseline brain tissue volume with baseline and longitudinal measures of delayed verbal memory, semantic memory, and executive function. Smaller right hippocampal and entorhinal cortex (ERC) volumes at baseline were associated with worse delayed verbal memory performance at baseline while smaller left ERC volume was associated with greater longitudinal decline. Smaller left superior temporal cortex at baseline was associated with worse semantic memory at baseline, while smaller left temporal white and gray matter volumes were associated with greater semantic memory decline. Increased CSF and smaller frontal lobe volumes were associated with impaired executive function at baseline and greater longitudinal executive decline. These findings suggest that baseline volumes of prefrontal and temporal regions may underlie continuing cognitive decline due to aging, pathology, or both in non-demented elderly individuals.     

Brain structure and symptom dimension relationships in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a voxel-based morphometry study

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a clinically heterogenous disorder characterized by temporally stable symptom dimensions. Past inconsistent results from structural neuroimaging studies of OCD may have resulted from the effects of these specific symptom dimensions as well as other socio-demographic and clinical variables upon gray matter (GM) volume. METHODS: GM volume was measured in 25 adult OCD patients and 20 adult healthy controls using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), controlling for age and total brain GM volume. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were carried out between regions of GM difference and age, age of onset, medication load, OCD severity, depression severity, and separate symptom dimension scores. RESULTS: Significant GM volumetric differences in OCD patients relative to controls were found in dorsal cortical regions, including bilateral BA6, BA46, BA9 and right BA8 (controls>patients), and bilateral midbrain (patients>controls). Stepwise regression analyses revealed highly significant relationships between greater total OCD symptom severity and smaller GM volumes in dorsal cortical regions and larger GM volumes in bilateral midbrain. Greater age was independently associated with smaller GM volumes in right BA6, left BA9, left BA46 and larger GM volumes in right midbrain. Greater washing symptom severity was independently associated with smaller GM volume in right BA6, while there was a trend association between greater hoarding symptom severity and lower GM volume in left BA6. LIMITATIONS: The sample was relatively small to examine the relationship between symptom scores and GM volumes. Multiple patients were taking medication and had comorbid disorders. CONCLUSIONS: These analyses suggest dorsal prefrontal cortical and bilateral midbrain GM abnormalities in OCD that appear to be primarily driven by the effects of total OCD symptom severity. The results regarding the relationship between GM volumes and symptom dimension scores require examination in larger samples.     

The cognitive neuropsychology of depression in the elderly

BACKGROUND: The cognitive impairment of older depressed patients with late- as opposed to early-onset illness may show important differences, in that patients with early onset may suffer predominantly from impaired episodic memory, and those with late onset mainly from reductions of executive function and processing speed. METHOD: We searched Medline and EMBASE as well as individual papers' reference lists for relevant publications, recording comparisons in neuropsychological test results between early-onset depression (EOD), late-onset depression (LOD) and healthy volunteers. Effect sizes are presented for cognitive domains, such as executive function, processing speed, episodic memory, semantic memory and mental state examination. RESULTS: Patients with LOD showed greater reductions in processing speed and executive function than patients with EOD and controls. Both patient groups showed reduced function in all domains, except mental state, compared with controls.CONCLUSION: Pronounced executive deficits are typical of the late-onset patients described in published studies, while episodic memory impairment is not specific to early-onset illness. Possible reasons and confounders are discussed.     

Frontal anatomy and reaction time in Autism

Widespread frontal lobe abnormalities, encompassing anatomy and function, are known to be implicated in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The correlation between neurobiology and behaviour, however, is poorly understood in ASD. The aim of this study was to investigate frontal lobe anatomy and cognitive function in individuals with ASD, compared to control subjects. Thus, we assessed whole brain and frontal lobe parenchymal volume, and grey and white matter density differences in ASD, compared to control subjects, using high resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Furthermore, all subjects underwent a computerized reaction time task (RTT) for cognitive assessment. No differences in total parenchymal brain volume were observed, however, autistic individuals showed significantly smaller frontal lobe parenchymal volume (FLPV) and decreased white matter density, compared to control subjects. Error rates did not differ significantly between groups during the RTT, but ASD individuals responded significantly slower to target stimuli. Furthermore, reduced FLPV correlated positively with increased reaction time in individual with ASD. Decreased FLPV could be an indicator for abnormal brain development resulting in reduced processing speed in ASD.     

Associations Between Performance on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure and Regional Brain Volumes in Children with and without Velocardiofacial Syndrome

Ninety-two children with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS), a genetic disorder caused by a microdeletion of chromosome 22q11.2 and an age, race, and gender-ratio comparable sample of 59 control participants were included in the project. Participants received an MRI as well as a comprehensive neuropsychological battery; the primary outcome measure in the current report is the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF). Children with VCFS performed less well on the ROCF and have lower whole brain volume compared to controls. After controlling for whole brain volume differences, children with VCFS have bilaterally less parietal lobe gray and white matter yet more frontal lobe white matter. Brain–behavior relationships include: (a) for both groups, parietal volumes (both gray and white matter) predicted ROCF Copy Organization performance and frontal volumes (both gray and white matter) predicted ROCF Copy Accuracy performance; (b) for controls, frontal white matter also predicted ROCF Copy Organization performance; (c) ROCF Recall Organization performance was best predicted by frontal gray matter volume only in our controls; ROCF Recall Accuracy performance was best predicted by frontal gray matter volume in both groups; and (d) in children with VCFS, performance on the ROCF-Copy Structural Elements Accuracy scale was predicted by right hemisphere white matter volume. Our hypotheses were also retested using IQ-matched and whole brain volume-matched subsamples. Identical results were obtained in these analyses. Assumptions about the organization of and the localization of the brain structures that subserve specific cognitive functions in the typically developing brain may not apply in the abnormally developing brain.     

Associations between performance on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure and regional brain volumes in children with and without velocardiofacial syndrome

Ninety-two children with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS), a genetic disorder caused by a microdeletion of chromosome 22q11.2 and an age, race, and gender-ratio comparable sample of 59 control participants were included in the project. Participants received an MRI as well as a comprehensive neuropsychological battery; the primary outcome measure in the current report is the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF). Children with VCFS performed less well on the ROCF and have lower whole brain volume compared to controls. After controlling for whole brain volume differences, children with VCFS have bilaterally less parietal lobe gray and white matter yet more frontal lobe white matter. Brain-behavior relationships include: (a) for both groups, parietal volumes (both gray and white matter) predicted ROCF Copy Organization performance and frontal volumes (both gray and white matter) predicted ROCF Copy Accuracy performance; (b) for controls, frontal white matter also predicted ROCF Copy Organization performance; (c) ROCF Recall Organization performance was best predicted by frontal gray matter volume only in our controls; ROCF Recall Accuracy performance was best predicted by frontal gray matter volume in both groups; and (d) in children with VCFS, performance on the ROCF-Copy Structural Elements Accuracy scale was predicted by right hemisphere white matter volume. Our hypotheses were also retested using IQ-matched and whole brain volume-matched subsamples. Identical results were obtained in these analyses. Assumptions about the organization of and the localization of the brain structures that subserve specific cognitive functions in the typically developing brain may not apply in the abnormally developing brain.     

Activation of brain regions using task-state FMRI in patients with mild traumatic brain injury: a meta-analysis

Activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis was performed to examine the activation characteristics of cognition-related brain regions in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The databases PubMed, Ovid, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, CNKI, WFSD, and VIP were systematically searched. The software Ginger-ALE 3.0.2 was used for coordinate unification and meta-analysis. Seven studies with a total of 314 subjects were included. Meta-analysis results indicated that compared with healthy subjects, mTBI patients had enhanced activation in the left anterior angular gyrus, left occipital joint visual, left midbrain, right temporal angular gyrus, right cerebellar tonsil, left frontal insula, and right inferior frontal gyrus. mTBI patients had attenuated activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal lobe, left cerebellar anterior lobe, left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe, right middle frontal gyrus, right posterior cingulate gyrus, left joint visual, left supramarginal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, right precuneus, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right frontal eye field, right lower parietal gyrus, corpus callosum, right frontal pole region, and left prefrontal lobe. Further joint analysis revealed that the dorsolateral prefrontal lobe of the right middle frontal gyrus was a region of attenuated co-activation. The dorsolateral prefrontal lobe of the right middle frontal gyrus showing attenuated activation was the main brain region distinguishing mTBI patients from healthy subjects. Cognitive deficits could be associated with attenuated activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal lobe of the right middle frontal gyrus, which could be due to a decline in the recruitment ability of the neural network involved in controlling attention.     

Medial temporal lobe abnormalities in pediatric unipolar depression

In vivo anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) have implicated neurocircuitries involved in mood regulation in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. Specifically, abnormalities in the medial temporal lobe structures have been reported. This study examined a sample of children and adolescents with major depressive disorder to investigate anatomical abnormalities in these key medial temporal brain regions. Nineteen children and adolescents with DSM-IV major depression (mean age +/- S.D.=13.0 +/- 2.4 years; 10 unmedicated) and 24 healthy comparison subjects (mean age +/- S.D.=13.9 +/- 2.9 years) were studied using a 1.5T Philips MRI scanner. We measured hippocampus and amygdala gray matter volumes. MRI structural volumes were compared using analysis of covariance with age and total brain volumes as covariates. Pediatric depressed patients had significantly smaller left hippocampal gray matter volumes compared to healthy controls (1.89 +/- 0.16 cm(3) versus 1.99 +/- 0.18 cm(3), respectively; F=5.0, d.f.=1/39, p=0.03; effect size: eta2(p) =0.11). Unmedicated depressed patients showed a trend towards smaller left hippocampal volumes compared to medicated patients and healthy subjects (F=2.8, d.f.=2/38, p=0.07; effect size: eta2(p) =0.13). There were no statistically significant differences in mean volumes for left or right amygdala. Smaller left hippocampal volumes in children and adolescents with MDD are in agreement with findings from adult studies and suggest that such abnormalities are present early in the course of the illness. Amygdala volumes are not abnormal in this age group. Smaller hippocampal volumes may be related to an abnormal developmental process or HPA axis dysfunction.     

Gray matter reduction associated with psychopathology and cognitive dysfunction in unipolar depression: a voxel-based morphometry study

BACKGROUND: Functional neuroimaging studies on both cognitive processing and psychopathology in patients with major depression have reported several functionally aberrant brain areas within limbic-cortical circuits. However, less is known about the relationship between psychopathology, cognitive deficits and regional volume alterations in this patient population. METHODS: By means of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and a standardized neuropsychological test battery, we examined 15 patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depression disorder and 14 healthy controls in order to investigate the relationship between affective symptoms, cognitive deficits and structural abnormalities. RESULTS: Patients with depression showed reduced gray matter concentration (GMC) in the left inferior temporal cortex (BA 20), the right orbitofrontal (BA 11) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA 46). Reduced gray matter volume (GMV) was found in the left hippocampal gyrus, the cingulate gyrus (BA 24/32) and the thalamus. Structure-cognition correlation analyses revealed that decreased GMC of the right medial and inferior frontal gyrus was associated with both depressive psychopathology and worse executive performance as measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Furthermore, depressive psychopathology and worse performance during the WCST were associated with decreased GMV of the hippocampus. Decreased GMV of the cingulate cortex was associated with worse executive performance. LIMITATIONS: Moderate illness severity, medication effects, and the relatively small patient sample size should be taken into consideration when reviewing the implications of these results. CONCLUSIONS: The volumetric results indicate that regional abnormalities in gray matter volume and concentration may be associated with both psychopathological changes and cognitive deficits in depression.     

糖尿病视网膜病变患者自发活动性异常的脑区与MoCA的相关性研究

目的 基于静息态功能磁共振局部一致性技术探讨糖尿病视网膜病变患者局部脑区一致性的改变及与认知关系.方法 选择27例糖尿病视网膜病变(DR)及与之年龄、性别、受教育年限相匹配的单纯糖尿病(N-DR)患者27例,均进行实验室检查、蒙特利尔量表(MoCA)检测及头颅磁共振扫描.利用多元回归分析及Pearson回归分析观察临床变量与活动性异常活动脑区ReHo值之间的关系.结果 相对于N-DR,DR患者在左小脑后叶、右额叶/额中回/内侧回、右枕叶/楔叶/距状回、左颞叶/上/中回、右边缘叶/后扣带回、左顶叶/中央后回ReHo值降低;在左额叶/眶部额上回、左顶叶/楔前叶ReHo值增强.而且MoCA量表评分与颞叶及楔前叶异常活动的脑区存在相关性.降低的枕叶距状回及颞叶中回与糖化血红蛋白呈负相关,增强的眶额叶与糖化血红蛋白呈正相关.结论 糖尿病视网膜病变患者存在多个脑区活动性异常的表现,且这些局部异常活动的脑区与认知功能及糖化血红蛋白存在相关.     

Hippocampal/amygdala volumes in geriatric depression.

BACKGROUND: The hippocampus, amygdala and related functional circuits have been implicated in the regulation of emotional expression and memory processes, which are affected in major depression. Several recent investigations have reported abnormalities in these structures in adult and elderly depressives. METHODS: Elderly DSM-III-R unipolar depressives (N = 40) and normal controls (N = 46) participated in a magnetic resonance imaging study (1.0T). Brain images were obtained in the coronal plane. Using established anatomical guidelines for structure delineation, volumetric measurements of left and right hippocampus and anterior hippocampus/amygdala complex were completed under blinded conditions using a semi-automated computer mensuration system, with patients and controls in random order. RESULTS: Medial temporal volumes did not significantly distinguish either elderly depressed and age-similar normal control subjects, or late onset and early onset depressed patients (ANCOVA). Major overlap of measured volumes existed between patient and control groups. In depressives, hippocampal volumes significantly correlated with age, and cognitive and depression ratings, but not with number of prior depressive episodes or age-at-onset of first depression. CONCLUSIONS: Hippocampal volumes do not discriminate a typical clinical population of elderly depressed patients from age-similar normal control subjects. If hippocampal dysfunction contributes to a diagnosis of syndromal depression in the elderly, such dysfunction does not appear to be regularly reflected in structural abnormalities captured by volumetric measurement as conducted. On the other hand, relationships between hippocampal volumes and clinical phenomena in depressives, but not controls, suggest potentially meaningful interactions between hippocampal structure and the expression of major depression in the elderly.     

Anatomical measurements of the orbitofrontal cortex in child and adolescent patients with bipolar disorder

Imaging studies indicate smaller orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) volume in mood disorder patients compared with healthy subjects. We sought to determine whether child and adolescent patients with bipolar disorder have smaller OFC volumes than healthy controls. Fourteen children and adolescents meeting DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder (six males and eight females with a mean age+/-S.D.=15.5+/-3.2 years) and 20 healthy controls (11 males and nine females with mean age+/-S.D.=16.9+/-3.8 years) were studied. Orbitofrontal cortex volume was measured using magnetic resonance imaging. Male bipolar patients had smaller gray matter volumes in medial (p=0.044), right medial (0.037) and right (p=0.032) lateral OFC subdivisions compared to male controls. In contrast, female patients had larger gray matter volumes in left (p=0.03), lateral (p=0.012), left lateral (p=0.007), and trends for larger volumes in right lateral and left medial OFC subdivisions compared with female controls. Male patients exhibit smaller gray matter volumes, while female patients exhibit larger volumes in some OFC sub-regions. Gender differences in OFC abnormalities may be involved in illness pathophysiology among young bipolar patients.     

原发性失眠患者大脑背外侧前额叶的异常静息态功能连接

目的:利用功能连接方法观察原发性失眠患者静息态下的背外侧前额叶的异常功能连接。方法:采集33 例原 发性失眠患者以及33 例年龄、性别和受教育程度相匹配的健康对照的功能磁共振图像,以背外侧前额叶为感兴趣区 域,与全脑其他体素进行功能连接分析,得到两组之间功能连接的差异脑区,再对异常功能连接脑区与临床的量表分 数做相关分析。结果:与对照组相比,发现失眠患者左侧背外侧前额叶与左侧枕下回、右侧枕下回、右侧枕中回、右侧 颞叶、左侧额中回,左侧额下回以及右侧梭状回之间的功能连接增强（P<0.05,体素簇个数≥100,FDR校正）,与左侧前 扣带皮层、右侧海马旁回、右侧脑岛、右侧背外侧额上回、右侧顶上回、右侧中央后回以及右侧中央前回之间的功能连 接减弱（P<0.05,体素簇个数≥100,FDR校正）。并且左侧背外侧前额叶与左侧枕叶下回的功能连接值与睡眠状况自评 量表分数成正相关（P=0.035）。结论:原发性失眠患者背外侧前额叶与大脑多个脑区出现异常的功能连接,可能为理 解原发性失眠患者的神经机制提供一些新的影像学依据。     

Quantitative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the bilateral frontal lobes in patients with bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Using 31P and 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) we previously reported that phosphocreatine was decreased in the left frontal lobe and choline-containing compounds were increased in the basal ganglia in the depressive state in patients with bipolar disorder. We applied quantitative 1H-MRS for further characterization of biochemical alteration in the frontal lobes of bipolar patients. METHODS: Twenty-three bipolar patients and 20 normal controls were examined by 1H-MRS with a 1.5T MR system. All patients were examined in the euthymic state, and eight patients were also examined in the depressive state. Volumes of interest of 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm were selected in the left and right frontal lobes. Absolute concentrations of N-acetyl-1-aspartate, creatine plus phosphocreatine, and choline-containing compounds were calculated from each metabolite peak. RESULTS: Creatine concentration in the left frontal lobe in bipolar patients in the depressive state was significantly lower than that in the euthymic state. Creatine concentration in the right frontal lobe in the male patients was significantly higher than that in the female patients and a similar trend was also found in the control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: We found a state-dependent change of creatine metabolism in the left frontal lobe of bipolar patients. The present results are compatible with our previous report of decreased phosphocreatine measured by 31P-MRS in the left frontal lobe in bipolar disorder. We also found an effect of gender on the creatine concentration. There may be a gender difference in creatine transport function into the brain.     

Effects of psychotherapy on hippocampal volume in out-patients with post-traumatic stress disorder: a MRI investigation

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have especially reported smaller hippocampal volume in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), most of them war or sexual abuse victims. The present study compares the hippocampal volumes of out-patients with PTSD who had low co-morbidity rates to those of trauma-exposed control subjects without PTSD, and measures hippocampal volume changes in these patients after brief eclectic psychotherapy. We hypothesized that smaller hippocampal volumes are specific to PTSD and that hippocampal volume changes after effective psychotherapy would be measurable. METHOD: Eighteen patients with PTSD and 14 traumatized control subjects were examined with MRI. In a randomized clinical trial, the PTSD patients were assigned to treatment (n = 9) or waiting-list group (n = 9). After the former received psychotherapy for 4 months, the MRI was repeated on both PTSD groups. Three temporal lobe structures were manually segmented: hippocampus, amygdala, and parahippocampal gyrus. Volumetric analysis was used to measure grey matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid. RESULTS: PTSD patients had significantly smaller hippocampal volumes at baseline (total 13.8%, right 13.5%, left 14.1%) compared to the control subjects. After effective psychotherapy, however, no volume changes were found in the smaller hippocampi. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed previous findings of smaller hippocampal volume in PTSD in a new population made up of out-patients who experienced different types of traumas, reducing co-morbidity to a minimum. Smaller hippocampal volumes did not change after effective psychotherapy, even while symptoms resolved.     

A brain MRI study in subjects with borderline personality disorder

Background: There have been only a few brain computed tomography imaging studies, with mostly negative findings, in subjects with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This is the first MRI study which evaluated the structural abnormalities of the brain in subjects with the sole diagnosis of BPD. Methods: Twenty-five subjects with BPD were compared with age-, gender-matched healthy comparison subjects (n=25) on volumes of the frontal lobes, the temporal lobes, the lateral ventricles, and the cerebral hemispheres in brain magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Subjects with BPD had a significantly smaller frontal lobe compared to comparison subjects (multivariate regression analysis, t=2.225, df=46, P=0.031). There were no significant differences in volumes of the temporal lobes, the lateral ventricles, and the cerebral hemispheres between subjects with and without BPD. Limitations: Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria employed in the present study may make it difficult to generalize our findings. The gray matter and white matter of the brain were not measured separately. Differences in head tilt during image acquisition were not corrected. Conclusions: The current study reports a smaller frontal lobe volume on brain MRI in subjects with BPD compared with healthy comparison subjects. This finding may serve as a potentially useful biological variable that may allow for subtyping BPD.     

Association between the brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism and brain morphology in a Japanese sample of schizophrenia and healthy comparisons

Magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate the relation between the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism and volumetric measurements for the medial temporal lobe structures (amygdala, hippocampus, and parahippocampal gyrus) and prefrontal sub-regions (the superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, ventral medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and straight gyrus) in a Japanese sample of 33 schizophrenia patients and 29 healthy subjects. For the controls, the Met carriers had significantly smaller parahippocampal and left superior frontal gyri than the Val homozygotes. The schizophrenia patients carrying the Met allele had a significantly smaller right parahippocampal gyrus than those with the Val/Val genotype, but the genotype did not affect the prefrontal regions in schizophrenia patients. These findings might reflect different genotypic effects of BDNF on brain morphology in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls, implicating the possible role of the brain morphology as an endophenotype for future genetic studies in schizophrenia.