title: Brain activation during self- and other-reflection in bipolar disorder with a history of psychosis: Comparison to schizophrenia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Reflecting on the self and on others activates specific brain areas and contributes to metacognition and social cognition. The aim of the current study is to investigate brain activation during self- and other-reflection in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). In addition, we examined whether potential abnormal brain activation in BD patients could distinguish BD from patients with schizophrenia (SZ).
  
  
  METHODS
  During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), 17 BD patients, 17 SZ patients and 21 healthy controls (HCs) performed a self-reflection task. The task consisted of sentences divided into three conditions: self-reflection, other-reflection and semantic control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BD patients showed less activation in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) extending to the precuneus during other-reflection compared to HCs (p = 0.028 FWE corrected on cluster-level within the regions of interest). In SZ patients, the level of activation in this area was in between BD patients and HCs, with no significant differences between patients with SZ and BD. There were no group differences in brain activation during self-reflection. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between the PCC/precuneus activation during other-reflection and cognitive insight in SZ patients, but not in BD patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BD patients showed less activation in the PCC/precuneus during other-reflection. This may support an account of impaired integration of emotion and memory (evaluation of past and current other-related information) in BD patients. Correlation differences of the PCC/precuneus activation with the cognitive insight in patients with BD and SZ might reflect an important difference between these disorders, which may help to further explore potentially distinguishing markers.
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging Center, Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Liwen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging Center, Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Esther M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Opmeer
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, Program for Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Henricus G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Ruhé
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging Center, Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands ; Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aleman
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging Center, Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands ; Department of Rehabilitation, Lentis Psychiatric Institute, Zuidlaren, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lisette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van der Meer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012938:Social Perception
keywords: Bipolar disorder; Other-reflection; Posterior cingulate cortex; Precuneus; Schizophrenia; Self-reflection