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The following is a summary of “Investigating sex-related differences in brain structure and function in bipolar I disorder using multimodal MRI,” published in the November 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Lee et al.
Bipolar I disorder is linked to significant changes in brain structure and function. Sex-related differences in its manifestation and progression remain poorly understood.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate sex-by-diagnosis interactions in brain structure and function in bipolar I disorder.
They obtained structural and functional MRI data from 105 individuals with bipolar I disorder (36 males, 69 females) and 210 healthy controls (72 males, 138 females). Voxel-wise analyses of gray matter volume and functional connectivity were performed using a general linear regression model, with age, sex, diagnosis, and a sex-by-diagnosis interaction as predictors.
The results showed significant sex-by-diagnosis interactions in gray matter volume in six brain regions: left caudate (P < 0.001), left thalamus (P< 0.001), right caudate (P= 0.003), right thalamus (P < 0.001), left anterior cingulate gyrus (P = 0.022), and left middle/posterior cingulate gyrus (P = 0.015). A significant sex-by-diagnosis interaction in functional connectivity was found between the left thalamus and the right angular gyrus (P = 0.019).
They found a significant sex-by-diagnosis interaction, with males showing larger gray matter volume and altered functional connectivity in the limbic system. These results suggested potential sex-related differences in the pathophysiology of bipolar I disorder, which could inform personalized treatment approaches.
Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-06228-7
