title: Greater cortical gray matter density in lithium-treated patients with bipolar disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The neurobiological underpinnings of bipolar disorder are not well understood. Previous neuroimaging findings have been inconsistent; however, new methods for three-dimensional (3-D) computational image analysis may better characterize neuroanatomic changes than standard volumetric measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and cortical pattern matching methods to map gray matter differences in 28 adults with bipolar disorder, 70% of whom were lithium-treated (mean age = 36.1 +/- 10.5; 13 female subject), and 28 healthy control subjects (mean age = 35.9 +/- 8.5; 11 female subjects). Detailed spatial analyses of gray matter density (GMD) were conducted by measuring local proportions of gray matter at thousands of homologous cortical locations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gray matter density was significantly greater in bipolar patients relative to control subjects in diffuse cortical regions. Greatest differences were found in bilateral cingulate and paralimbic cortices, brain regions critical for attentional, motivational, and emotional modulation. Secondary region of interest (ROI) analyses indicated significantly greater GMD in the right anterior cingulate among lithium-treated bipolar patients (n = 20) relative to those not taking lithium (n = 8).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These brain maps are consistent with previous voxel-based morphometry reports of greater GMD in portions of the anterior limbic network in bipolar patients and suggest neurotrophic effects of lithium as a possible etiology of these neuroanatomic differences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. cbearden@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Carrie E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Bearden
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Manish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dalwani
authors.forename: Kiralee M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Agatha D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nicoletti
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trakhtenbroit
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Glahn
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.forename: Roberto B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Sassi
authors.forename: Alan G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Mallinger
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kupfer
authors.forename: Jair C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000473:pathology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008032:Limbic System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D018020:Lithium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D018020:Lithium Compounds; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents