Altered baseline brain activity in children with bipolar disorder during mania state: a resting-state study

• Main Authors: Lu D, Jiao Q, Zhong Y, Gao W, Xiao Q, Liu X, Lin X, Cheng W, Luo L, Xu C, Lu G, Su L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2014-02-01
• Series: Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
• Online Access: http://www.dovepress.com/altered-baseline-brain-activity-in-children-with-bipolar-disorder-duri-a15842

Dali Lu,1 Qing Jiao,2 Yuan Zhong,3,4 Weijia Gao,1 Qian Xiao,1 Xiaoqun Liu,1 Xiaoling Lin,5 Wentao Cheng,6 Lanzhu Luo,6 Chuanjian Xu,3 Guangming Lu,2 Linyan Su1 1Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Radiology, Taishan Medical University, Taian, People's Republic of China; 3Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, People's Republic of China; 4School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China; 5School of Nursing of Central South University, Changsha, People's Republic of China; 6Department of Pediatric and Geriatric Psychiatry, Fuzhou Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Fuzhou, People's Republic of China Background: Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have shown abnormal functional connectivity in regions involved in emotion processing and regulation in pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD). Recent studies indicate, however, that task-dependent neural changes only represent a small fraction of the brain's total activity. How the brain allocates the majority of its resources at resting state is still unknown. We used the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method of fMRI to explore the spontaneous neuronal activity in resting state in PBD patients. Methods: Eighteen PBD patients during the mania phase and 18 sex-, age- and education-matched healthy subjects were enrolled in this study and all patients underwent fMRI scanning. The ALFF method was used to compare the resting-state spontaneous neuronal activity between groups. Correlation analysis was performed between the ALFF values and Young Mania Rating Scale scores. Results: Compared with healthy controls, PBD patients presented increased ALFF in bilateral caudate and left pallidum as well as decreased ALFF in left precuneus, left superior parietal lobule, and bilateral inferior occipital gyrus. Additionally, ALFF values in left pallidum were positively correlated with Young Mania Rating Scale score in PBD. Conclusion: The abnormal resting-state neuronal activities of the basal ganglia, parietal cortex, and occipital cortex may play an important role in the pathophysiology in PBD patients. Keywords: resting-state fMRI, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation, child, bipolar disorder