Developmental abnormalities in striatum in young bipolar patients: a preliminary study.
OBJECTIVE
Anatomical abnormalities in the basal ganglia of adult mood disorder patients have been reported. To investigate whether these abnormalities are present early in illness course, we compared the volume of striatal structures in young bipolar patients and healthy controls.


METHODS
Brain magnetic resonance images of 15 children and adolescents who met DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorders and 21 healthy controls were obtained. Measurements were performed manually, by trained evaluators, who were blind to subjects' diagnosis. The volumes of caudate and putamen were compared in patients and controls.


RESULTS
The volumes of striatal structures were not significantly different in patients and controls (ANCOVA, p > 0.05). However, we found a significant inverse relationship between age and the volumes of left caudate (r = -0.72, p < 0.01), right caudate (r = -0.66, p = 0.02) and left putamen (r = -0.71, p = 0.01) in bipolar patients, not present in healthy controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Abnormalities in striatal development may be involved in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder.
Sanches
Marsal
M
Division of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
Roberts
Roxsann L
RL
Sassi
Roberto B
RB
Axelson
David
D
Nicoletti
Mark
M
Brambilla
Paolo
P
Hatch
John P
JP
Keshavan
Matcheri S
MS
Ryan
Neal D
ND
Birmaher
Boris
B
Soares
Jair C
JC
D000293:Adolescent; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000002:abnormalities; D002648:Child; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000503:physiopathology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011699:Putamen / Q000002:abnormalities