Combinations of resting RSA and RSA reactivity impact maladaptive mood repair and depression symptoms

We examined whether the combined indices of respiratory sinus arrhythmia at rest (resting RSA) and in response to a sad film (RSA reactivity) predict effective and ineffective responses to reduce sadness (adaptive vs. maladaptive mood repair) in women with histories of juvenile-onset depression (n = 74) and no history of major mental disorders (n = 75). Structural equation models were used to estimate latent resting RSA, depression, and adaptive and maladaptive mood repair and to test the study hypotheses. Results indicated that combinations of resting RSA + RSA reactivity (RSA patterns) predicted maladaptive mood repair, which in turn, mediated the effects of RSA pattern on depression. Further, RSA patterns moderated the depressogenic effects of maladaptive mood repair. RSA patterns were unrelated to adaptive mood repair. Our findings suggest that mood repair is one mechanism through which physiological vulnerabilities adversely affect mental health.     

Effects of raloxifene and hormone replacement therapy on forearm skin elasticity in postmenopausal women

Objectives

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increases skin elasticity in postmenopausal women. However, the effects of raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), on skin degenerative changes in postmenopausal women remain unknown. We investigated whether raloxifene increases skin elasticity, similar to HRT, in postmenopausal women.

Methods

In a 12-month trial, 17 postmenopausal women (mean age, 66.4 ± 7.8 years) received continuous raloxifene treatment (60 mg/day), 19 women (56.2 ± 6.4 years) received continuous 17-β estradiol treatment using a patch (0.72 mg/2 days) plus cyclic medroxyprogesterone acetate (2.5 mg/day, for 12 days/month), and 11 women (58.1 ± 7.3 years) did not receive either therapy. In each subject, the skin elasticity of the forearm was measured using a suction device at baseline and at 12 months after the start of the study.

Results

Raloxifene and HRT significantly increased skin elasticity from 52.4 ± 3.8% and 64.1 ± 7.2% at baseline to 55.1 ± 4.7% and 67.4 ± 7.4% after 12 months, respectively (P < 0.05, each), but the untreated subjects did not exhibit any significant change in skin elasticity during the study. The delta value for skin elasticity was significantly higher among the raloxifene and HRT subjects than among the untreated subjects (P < 0.05, each).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that raloxifene may have a beneficial effect on skin elasticity, which undergoes degenerative changes in postmenopausal women, in addition to its effects on bone metabolism.     

A meta-analytic review of the relationship between adolescent risky sexual behavior and impulsivity across gender,age, and race

Background

Impulsivity is frequently included as a risk factor in models of adolescent sexual risk-taking; however, findings on the magnitude of association between impulsivity and risky sexual behavior are variable across studies. The aims of the current meta-analysis were to examine (1) how specific impulsivity traits relate to specific risky sexual behaviors in adolescents, and (2) how the impulsivity–risky sex relationship might differ across gender, age, and race.

Method

Eighty-one studies were meta-analyzed using a random effects model to examine the overall impulsivity–risky sex relationship and relationships among specific impulsivity traits and risky sexual behaviors.

Results

Overall, results revealed a significant, yet small, association between impulsivity and adolescent risky sexual behavior (r = 0.19, p < 0.001) that did not differ across impulsivity trait. A pattern of stronger effects was associated with risky sexual behaviors as compared to negative outcomes related to these behaviors. Gender moderated the overall relationship (β = 0.22, p = 0.04), such that effect sizes were significantly larger in samples with more females. Age, race, study design, and sample type did not moderate the relationship, although there was a pattern suggesting smaller effects for adolescents in juvenile detention settings.

Conclusions

Adolescent samples with more females showed a larger impulsivity–risky sex relationship, suggesting that impulsivity may be a more important risk factor for risky sex among adolescent females. Research and treatment should consider gender differences when investigating the role of impulsivity in adolescent sexual risk-taking.     

Spinal substance P and neurokinin-1 increase with high repetition reaching

Musculoskeletal injury and inflammation is associated with performance of repetitive and forceful tasks. In this study, we examined the effects of performing a voluntary, highly repetitive, negligible force (HRNF) reaching task on spinal cord neurochemicals involved in nociception. To our knowledge, no other laboratories are examining spinal cord nociceptive neurochemicals in response to repetitive motion-induced injury and inflammation. The purpose of this study was to extend our earlier findings related to central neurotransmitters from a low demand task to a higher demand task. Specifically, this study determined immunoreactivity of a peptidergic pro-nociceptive transmitter (substance P) and one of its receptors, neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor, in spinal cord dorsal horns in rats performing a HRNF reaching task for 6–10 weeks. The relationship of these spinal cord changes with the number of TNFα immunopositive cells in flexor forelimb muscles and with previously observed forearm grip strength changes from these same rats were examined. Performance of the HRNF task resulted in significantly increased substance P and NK-1 receptor immunoreactivity in the superficial lamina of spinal cord dorsal horns at 6 and 10 weeks compared to trained controls (p < 0.01). The increased substance P and NK-1 receptor immmunoreactivity were positively correlated with declines in forearm grip strength, an assay of movement-related hyperalgesia (r = 0.70, p < 0.01 and r = 0.64, p < 0.05, respectively). The increased substance P and NK-1 receptor immmunoreactivity were also positively correlated with increased TNF immunopositive cells in forelimb flexor muscles (r = 0.85, p < 0.001 and r = 0.88, p < 0.001, respectively). Thus, our highly repetitive task leads to increased spinal cord pro-nociceptive neurochemicals that are most likely directed by forelimb muscle inflammation and pain.     

Motivational interviewing in medical care settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objective

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a method for encouraging people to make behavioral changes to improve health outcomes. We used systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate MI's efficacy in medical care settings.

Methods

Database searches located randomized clinical trials that compared MI to comparison conditions and isolated the unique effect of MI within medical care settings.

Results

Forty-eight studies (9618 participants) were included. The overall effect showed a statistically significant, modest advantage for MI: Odd ratio = 1.55 (CI: 1.40–1.71), z = 8.67, p < .001. MI showed particular promise in areas such as HIV viral load, dental outcomes, death rate, body weight, alcohol and tobacco use, sedentary behavior, self-monitoring, confidence in change, and approach to treatment. MI was not particularly effective with eating disorder or self-care behaviors or some medical outcomes such as heart rate.

Conclusion

MI was robust across moderators such as delivery location and patient characteristics, and appears efficacious when delivered in brief consultations.

Practice implications

The emerging evidence for MI in medical care settings suggests it provides a moderate advantage over comparison interventions and could be used for a wide range of behavioral issues in health care.     

The efficacy of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for depression: A meta-analysis

Objectives

It remains largely unclear, firstly whether short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) is an effective treatment for depression, and secondly, which study, participant, or intervention characteristics may moderate treatment effects. The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of STPP for depression and to identify treatment moderators.

Results

After a thorough literature search, 23 studies totaling 1365 subjects were included. STPP was found to be significantly more effective than control conditions at post-treatment (d = 0.69). STPP pre-treatment to post-treatment changes in depression level were large (d = 1.34), and these changes were maintained until 1-year follow-up. Compared to other psychotherapies, a small but significant effect size (d = − 0.30) was found, indicating the superiority of other treatments immediately post-treatment, but no significant differences were found at 3-month (d = − 0.05) and 12-month (d = − 0.29) follow-up. Studies employing STPP in groups (d = 0.83) found significantly lower pre-treatment to post-treatment effect sizes than studies using an individual format (d = 1.48). Supportive and expressive STPP modes were found to be equally efficacious (d = 1.36 and d = 1.30, respectively).

Conclusion

We found clear indications that STPP is effective in the treatment of depression in adults. Although more high-quality RCTs are necessary to assess the efficacy of the STPP variants, the current findings add to the evidence-base of STPP for depression.     

Olanzapine plus fluoxetine treatment increases Nt-3 protein levels in the rat prefrontal cortex

Evidence is emerging for a role for neurotrophins in the treatment of mood disorders. In this study, we evaluated the effects of chronic administration of fluoxetine, olanzapine and the combination of fluoxetine/olanzapine on the brain-derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) in the rat brain. Wistar rats received daily injections of olanzapine (3 or 6 mg/kg) and/or fluoxetine (12.5 or 25 mg/kg) for 28 days, and we evaluated for BDNF, NGF and NT-3 protein levels in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala. Our results showed that treatment with fluoxetine and olanzapine alone or in combination did not alter BDNF in the prefrontal cortex (p = 0.37), hippocampus (p = 0.98) and amygdala (p = 0.57) or NGF protein levels in the prefrontal cortex (p = 0.72), hippocampus (p = 0.23) and amygdala (p = 0.64), but NT-3 protein levels were increased by olanzapine 6 mg/kg/fluoxetine 25 mg/kg combination in the prefrontal cortex (p = 0.03), in the hippocampus (p = 0.83) and amygdala (p = 0.88) NT-3 protein levels did not alter. Finally, these findings further support the hypothesis that NT-3 could be involved in the effect of treatment with antipsychotic and antidepressant combination in mood disorders.     

Meta-analysis of FKBP5 gene polymorphisms association with treatment response in patients with mood disorders

The aim of our study was to assess the association between FKBP5 gene polymorphisms and treatment response in patients with mood disorders using a meta-analysis. Eight separate studies that included data from 2199 subjects were identified. Meta-analysis was performed for three FKBP5 gene polymorphisms (rs1360780, rs3800373, and rs4713916). A significant association of FKBP5 gene rs4713916 polymorphism and response rate was found in patients with mood disorders (Overall: A versus G: OR = 1.28, 95%CI = 1.06–1.53, P = 0.01; GA + AA versus GG: OR = 1.32, 95%CI = 1.05–1.67, P = 0.02. Caucasian: A versus G: OR = 1.28, 95%CI = 1.06–1.55, P = 0.01; GA + AA versus GG: OR = 1.33, 95%CI = 1.04–1.70, P = 0.02). However, we did not detect the association between FKBP5 gene rs1360780 and rs3800373 polymorphisms and treatment response in patients with mood disorders (P > 0.05). This meta-analysis demonstrates that treatment response in patients with mood disorders is associated with FKBP5 gene rs4713916 polymorphism, but not rs1360780 and rs3800373.     

Family involvement is helpful and harmful to patients’ self-care and glycemic control

Objective

We assessed the relationships between supportive and obstructive family behaviors and patients’ diabetes self-care activities and HbA_1C, and potential interaction effects and differences by demographic characteristics.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, 192 adults with type 2 diabetes completed the Diabetes Family Behavior Checklist-II, the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities, and a glycemic control (HbA_1C) test.

Results

Participants reported similar rates of supportive and obstructive behaviors that were positively correlated (rho = 0.61, p < 0.001). In adjusted analyses, supportive family behaviors were associated with adherence to different self-care behaviors (β = 0.20 to 0.50, p < 0.05), whereas obstructive family behaviors were associated with less adherence to self-care behaviors (β = −0.28 to −0.39, p < 0.01) and worse HbA_1C (β = 0.18, p < 0.05). Supportive behaviors protected against the detrimental effect of obstructive behaviors on HbA_1C (interaction β = −0.22, p < 0.001). Non-Whites reported more supportive and obstructive behaviors than Whites, but race did not affect the relationships between family behaviors and self-care or HbA_1C.

Conclusion

Involving family members in patients’ diabetes management may impede patients’ self-care and compromise their glycemic control unless family members are taught to avoid obstructive behaviors.

Practice implications

Our findings endorse interventions that help family members develop actionable plans to support patients’ self-care and train them to communicate productively about diabetes management.     

Effect of erythropoietin on oxygen-induced brain injury in the newborn rat

The developing nervous system is sensitive to supraphysiological oxygen concentrations. Recent studies showed that exposure to hyperoxia in infant rats leads to extensive apoptotic degeneration in the cortex and white matter of the developing brain. A wide variety of experimental studies have shown that erythropoietin exerts a remarkable neuroprotection in both cell cultures and in animal models of nervous system disorders. In the present study, we investigated the effect of erythropoietin against hyperoxia-induced neurodegeneration in the developing brain. Eighteen Wistar rat pups were divided into three groups: control group, hyperoxia + saline-treated group and hyperoxia + erythropoietin-treated group. Hyperoxia groups were exposed to 80% oxygen (n = 12) in a plexiglas chamber in which the oxygen concentration was monitored twice daily from birth until postnatal day 5. Hyperoxia exposure was 24 h/day for 5 days. The hyperoxia + erythropoietin group received an intraperitoneal injection of recombinant human erythropoietin at a dose of 1000 U/(kg day). At postnatal day 5, all animals were sacrificed. Neuronal cell death and apoptosis were evaluated. Histopathological examination showed that erythropoietin significantly diminished apoptosis in the CA1 region and dentate gyrus of hippocampus and parietal cortex in hyperoxia + erythropoietin-treated group. Regarding the safety profile of erythropoietin in premature and mature infants, this agent may be potentially beneficial in preventing hyperoxic brain injury.     

Motives for initiation,temporary discontinuation,and permanent discontinuation of hormone replacement therapy use among Norwegian women

Objective

The use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) declined strongly in many countries after publication of the WHI-study. The purpose of the present study was to investigate HRT usage patterns and motives for initiation, temporary discontinuation, and permanent discontinuation of HRT use among Norwegian women.

Methods

A questionnaire study about use and attitudes towards HRT was carried out in 2005. Women 45–64 years old were invited to the study (n = 2325, response rate 47%).

Results

Women initiated HRT use mainly due to climacteric complaints (74%), while prophylactic motives were less frequently reported (27%). The most often reported benefits of HRT use were reduced climacterical symptoms, especially hot flushes/sweating (83%), and improved quality of life (59%). The major proportion of ever-users (57%) had at some point temporarily discontinued HRT use. The motive for temporary discontinuation of HRT use most frequently reported was to see if climacterical symptoms had ceased (58%). Permanent discontinuation of HRT use was most often motivated by anxiety to side effects (55%). In multivariable analyses, women using HRT prophylactically were less likely to temporarily discontinue use. Women with a positive attitude towards HRT were the most unlikely ones to permanently discontinue HRT use.

Conclusions

Temporary discontinuation of HRT use was common among Norwegian women. The majority of HRT users reported a reduction in climacteric complaints after initiation of HRT use but many women were afraid of side effects.     

Effects of continuous combined hormone replacement therapy and clodronate on bone mineral density in osteoporotic postmenopausal women: A 5-year follow-up

Objective

To determine the effects of HRT with or without clodronate on bone mineral density (BMD) change and bone turnover markers.

Design

Prospective, partly randomized trial.

Setting

Kuopio University Hospital, Finland.

Population

167 osteoporotic women (61 ± 2.7 years; T-score ≤ −2.5 SD).

Methods

Estradiol 2 mg + NETA 1 mg, randomization to additional 800 mg clodronate (n = 55, HT + C-group) or placebo (n = 55, HT-group); if contraindications to HRT, clodronate (n = 57, C-group).

Main outcome measures

BMD by DXA after 1, 3 and 5 years, serum osteocalcin (OC) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) at the baseline and after 3 years.

Results

After 5 years, adjusted lumbar BMD increased by 4.2% in the HT-group and 3.7% in the HT + C-group. The C-group showed a decrease of −1.1%, the total difference being 5.3% and 4.8% between HT, HT + C vs. C-group, respectively (p < 0.001). In the femoral neck, the adjusted 5-year BMD benefit was 1.3% and 2.4% in the HT- and HT + C-groups, respectively, the net loss of BMD in the C-group was −3.3% (p < 0.05 between HT + C vs. C). By 3 years, OC decreased by 55.0%, 70.3% and 53.8% in the HT-, HT + C- and C-groups, respectively (p < 0.001 vs. baseline). The significant decreases of BAP were 39.4% in the HT-group, 42.1% in the HT + C-group and 30.2% in the C-group with no significant differences between the groups after adjustments.

Conclusions

In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, HRT increased spinal and femoral BMD, but the combination of HRT and clodronate did not offer an extra gain of bone mass.     

Hypocretinergic neurons are activated in conjunction with goal-oriented survival-related motor behaviors

Hypocretinergic neurons are located in the area of the lateral hypothalamus which is responsible for mediating goal-directed, survival-related behaviors. Consequently, we hypothesize that the hypocretinergic system functions to promote these behaviors including those patterns of somatomotor activation upon which they are based. Further, we hypothesize that the hypocretinergic system is not involved with repetitive motor activities unless they occur in conjunction with the goal-oriented behaviors that are governed by the lateral hypothalamus. In order to determine the veracity of these hypotheses, we examined Fos immunoreactivity (as a marker of neuronal activity) in hypocretinergic neurons in the cat during: a) Exploratory Motor Activity; b) Locomotion without Reward; c) Locomotion with Reward; and d) Wakefulness without Motor Activity. Significantly greater numbers of hypocretinergic neurons expressed c-fos when the animals were exploring an unknown environment during Exploratory Motor Activity compared with all other paradigms. In addition, a larger number of Hcrt + Fos + neurons were activated during Locomotion with Reward than during Wakefulness without Motor Activity. Finally, very few hypocretinergic neurons were activated during Locomotion without Reward and Wakefulness without Motor Activity, wherein there was an absence of goal-directed activities. We conclude that the hypocretinergic system does not promote wakefulness per se or motor activity per se but is responsible for mediating specific goal-oriented behaviors that take place during wakefulness. Accordingly, we suggest that the hypocretinergic system is responsible for controlling the somatomotor system and coordinating its activity with other systems in order to produce successful goal-oriented survival-related behaviors that are controlled by the lateral hypothalamus.     

A meta-analysis of the influence of comorbidity on treatment outcome in the anxiety disorders

Although psychiatric comorbidity is common among patients with anxiety disorders, its impact on treatment outcome remains unclear. The present study used meta-analytic techniques to examine the relationship between diagnostic comorbidity and treatment outcome for patients with anxiety disorders. One hundred forty-eight anxiety-disordered treatment samples (combined N = 3534) were examined for post-treatment effects from the PsychINFO database. Samples consisted of those exposed to both active (CBT, dynamic therapy, drug treatment, CBT + drug treatment, mindfulness) and inactive treatments (placebo/attention control, wait-list). All treatments were associated with significant improvement at post-treatment, and active treatments were associated with greater effects than were inactive treatments. However, overall comorbidity was generally unrelated to effect size at post-treatment or at follow-up. A significant negative relationship between overall comorbidity and treatment outcome was found for mixed or “neurotic” anxiety samples when examining associations between comorbidity and specific diagnoses. Conversely, there was a significant positive relationship between overall comorbidity and treatment outcome for panic disorder and/or agoraphobia and PTSD or sexual abuse survivors. These findings suggest that while diagnostic comorbidity may not impact the effects of specific anxiety disorder treatments, it appears to differentially impact outcome for specific anxiety disorder diagnoses.     

Amygdalar shape analysis method using surface contour aligning,spherical mapping,and probabilistic subregional segmentation

The objective of this study was to develop a reliable method for the shape analysis of the amygdala, a structure that is important in gaining a better understanding of the limbic system in the human brain. The goal of this study was threefold; to develop (1) a robust method for aligning the contour of the amygdala; (2) a reproducible method for extracting surface parameters of the amygdala using a spherical mapping technique; and (3) a standardized approach for statistical assessment and visualization of shape alterations by applying the probabilistic maps of amygdalar subregions. This technique was validated by conducting an artificial phantom study and by assessing sex-related amygdalar shape differences using T1-weighted images from healthy volunteers. In the phantom study, the region with atrophy was detected successfully through the shape analysis process. In the human study, the average radii of the centromedial (CM) subregion in the left amygdala and laterobasal (LB), superficial (SF) and CM subregions in the right amygdala were different between sexes (t-tests, p = 0.02, 0.04, 0.04, and 0.002, respectively). In addition, focal regions with larger radii in amygdalae of men than those of women were found predominantly on the surfaces of bilateral SF and bilateral CM subregions, after the volumes of the amygdala had been scaled to the unit volume (1000 mm³) (Mann–Whitney U-test, false discovery rate corrected p < 0.05, clustered vertex points > 25). Regions with smaller radii in amygdalae of men were found predominantly on the anterior surfaces of the right LB and SF subregions (Mann–Whitney U-test, false discovery rate corrected p < 0.05, clustered vertex points > 25). This is generally in agreement with previous findings from animal studies. The current method may be used for measuring subtle local shape changes of the amygdala in various psychiatric or neurologic disorders.     

Novel method for transdiaphragmatic pressure measurements in mice

The diaphragm muscle (DIAm) is responsible for breathing and determines the ability to generate both ventilatory and non-ventilatory behaviors. Size limitations of the mouse make transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi) measurement using a dual balloon system untenable. Adult C57BL/6J mice (n = 8) and C57BL/6 × 129 (n = 9), underwent Pdi measurements using solid-state pressure catheters spanning the thoracic and abdominal surfaces of the DIAm. Measurements were conducted during eupnea, hypoxia (10% O₂)–hypercapnia (5% CO₂), chemical airway stimulation (i.e., sneezing), spontaneously occurring deep breaths, sustained tracheal occlusion, and bilateral phrenic nerve stimulation. There was a difference in the Pdi generated across the range of ventilatory and non-ventilatory behaviors (p = 0.001). No difference in Pdi across behaviors was evident between mouse strains (p = 0.161). This study establishes a novel method to determine Pdi across a range of DIAm behaviors in mice that may be useful in evaluating conditions associated with reduced ability to perform expulsive, non-ventilatory behaviors.     

Spanking,corporal punishment and negative long-term outcomes: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies

Social scientists continue to debate the impact of spanking and corporal punishment (CP) on negative child outcomes including externalizing and internalizing behavior problems and cognitive performance. Previous meta-analytic reviews have mixed long- and short-term studies and relied on bivariate r, which may inflate effect sizes. The current meta-analysis focused on longitudinal studies, and compared effects using bivariate r and better controlled partial r coefficients controlling for time-1 outcome variables. Consistent with previous findings, results based on bivariate r found small but non-trivial long-term relationships between spanking/CP use and negative outcomes. Spanking and CP correlated .14 and .18 respectively with externalizing problems, .12 and .21 with internalizing problems and − .09 and − .18 with cognitive performance. However, when better controlled partial r coefficients (pr) were examined, results were statistically significant but trivial (at or below pr = .10) for externalizing (.07 for spanking, .08 for CP) and internalizing behaviors (.10 for spanking, insufficient studies for CP) and near the threshold of trivial for cognitive performance (− .11 for CP, insufficient studies for spanking). It is concluded that the impact of spanking and CP on the negative outcomes evaluated here (externalizing, internalizing behaviors and low cognitive performance) are minimal. It is advised that psychologists take a more nuanced approach in discussing the effects of spanking/CP with the general public, consistent with the size as well as the significance of their longitudinal associations with adverse outcomes.     

Treating obesity with a novel hand-held device,computer software program,and Internet technology in primary care: The SMART motivational trial

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short-term motivational effect of a technology-based weight reduction program for obese adults.

Methods

One hundred and eleven obese (37.0 ± 5.8 kg/m²) middle aged (45.5 ± 10.8 years) adults (62% female) were randomly assigned to a usual care or experimental (SMART: self-monitoring and resting metabolic rate technology) group. The usual care group received a standard nutritional program in accordance to national guidelines. All participants received a comprehensive weight management program consisting of motivational interviewing (MI) sessions and automated e-mail behavioral newsletters. Bodyweight, arterial blood pressure, and psychobehavioral constructs were assessed over 12 weeks.

Results

Completer analysis (n = 80) indicated a significant improvement in bodyweight (−3.9%), systolic arterial pressure (−4 mmHg), and all motivational constructs following the 12-week study (p ≤ .05). However, there were no significant differences between groups at any time period.

Conclusion

Based on these data, a 12-week comprehensive weight reduction program consisting of MI and automated e-mail behavioral newsletters with or without SMART is efficacious in treating obese adults.

Practice implications

Although both treatment programs were equally effective, clinicians should consider a treatment program that meets the need of the patient. This study was registered at ClinicalTrails.gov NCT00750022.     

Anterior genu corpus callosum and impulsivity in suicidal patients with bipolar disorder

Suicidality is a life-threatening symptom in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). Impulsivity and mood instability are associated with suicidality in mood disorders. Evidence suggests that gray and white matter abnormalities are linked with impulsivity in mood disorders, but little is known about the association between corpus callosum (CC) and impulsivity in BD. We examined the relationship between CC areas, impulsivity and suicidality in BD patients. We studied 10 female BD patients with a history of suicide attempt (mean ± SD age 36.2 ± 10.1 years), 10 female BD patients without suicide attempt history (44.2 ± 12.5 years) and 27 female healthy subjects (36.9 ± 13.8 years). Impulsivity was evaluated by the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS). We traced MR images to measure the areas of the CC genu, anterior body, posterior body, isthmus and splenium. The genu was divided into anterior, middle and posterior regions. The suicidal and non-suicidal BD patients had significantly higher BIS total, attention and non-planning scores than the healthy subjects (ps < 0.01), and the suicidal BD patients had significantly higher BIS motor scores than the non-suicidal BD and healthy subjects (ps < 0.01). There were no significant differences among the three groups on any regional CC areas, although the suicidal BD patients had the smallest areas. The suicidal BD patients showed a significant inverse correlation between anterior genu area and the BIS total (r = −0.75, p = 0.04), motor (r = −0.79, p = 0.02) and non-planning scores (r = −0.79, p = 0.02). These correlations were not found in the non-suicidal BD patients or healthy subjects. The results suggest that the anterior medial frontal region may be involved in the pathophysiology of impulsive and suicidal behaviors in BD.