Anterior cingulate volume in pediatric bipolar disorder and autism
Received 25 August 2006; received in revised form 6 April 2007; accepted 24 April 2007.
Abstract
Background
An increasing number of studies indicate the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG) may play a role in the attention deficits associated with pediatric bipolar disorder (BD). Age, medications, and intelligence quotient (IQ) may affect ACG volume; few studies have controlled for these effects.
Methods
We recruited 16 children with BD and 24 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); 15 children with no psychiatric diagnosis (NP) were also included. All participants were evaluated with the K-SADS and a DSM-IV Autism/Asperger's Checklist; the ADI-R was also administered to ASD participants shortly after the study began. The participants completed a brain MRI scan on a 1.5Tesla Signa GE scanner. We segmented the ACG and compared left and right ACG volumes between groups. The influence of medications on the ACG volume was assessed while controlling for the effects of age and IQ.
Results
The left ACG volume was significantly smaller in the BD group compared to the NP (p=0.004) and ASD (p=0.006) groups. No significant differences were found in the right ACG volume. These differences do not appear to be attributable to medication use or IQ.
Conclusions
Pediatric BD patients have a smaller left ACG volume compared to NP children and children diagnosed with ASD. This replication and extension of previous studies suggest that the ACG volume abnormality may be a biomarker for BD.
aDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and The Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (M.I.N.D.) Institute, University of California, Davis Medical Center, United States
bThe Center of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and UMDNJ/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, United States
cKessler Medical Rehabilitation Research and Education Corporation, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, United States
dAssistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Janssen Pharmaceutica, United States
eTouro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Vallejo, CA, United States
Corresponding author. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and The M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California, Davis Medical Center, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States. Tel.: +1 916 703 0246; fax: +1 916 703 0244.
ABSTRACT