Prefrontal cortex, temporal cortex, and hippocampus volume are affected in suicidal psychiatric patients.
Suicide is a leading cause of death in America, with over 40,000 reported suicides per year. Mental illness is a major risk factor for suicidality. This study attempts to validate findings of volumetric differences from studies on suicidality. Psychiatric inpatients classified as having mildly severe or severe depression were separated into two groups: suicide attempted in the past two months (SA; n=20), non-suicidal control group (DA; n=20); these patients were all depressed and not significantly different for age, gender, race, marital status, education level, anxiety level, and substance abuse. Healthy controls (HC; n=20) were not significantly different from the suicidal groups for age and gender. Volunteers underwent MRI to assess volumes of cortical lobes, corpus callosum, and subcortical regions of interest, including the thalamus, insula, limbic structures, and basal ganglia. The right hippocampal volume of the SA group was significantly reduced compared to healthy controls. The frontal and temporal lobe volumes of the SA group were significantly decreased compared to the DA group. These volumetric reductions confirm previous findings and support the hypothesis that fronto-temporal function may be altered in suicidal patients.
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Savannah N
SN
Gosnell
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Kenia M
KM
Velasquez
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
David L
DL
Molfese
Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT 06269, USA.
Peter J
PJ
Molfese
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; The Menninger Clinic, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Alok
A
Madan
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; The Menninger Clinic, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
James C
JC
Fowler
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; The Menninger Clinic, Houston, TX 77030, USA; The University of Hawaii at Hilo, HI 96720, USA.
B
B
Christopher Frueh
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Philip R
PR
Baldwin
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Electronic address: rsalas@bcm.edu.
Ramiro
R
Salas
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
Freesurfer; Frontal lobe; Hippocampus; Replication; Suicide; Temporal lobe
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