Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40499940›Full record

ArticleBMJ mental health2025

Multivariate brain morphological patterns across mood disorders: key roles of frontotemporal and cerebellar areas.

Sevdalina Kandilarova, Eleonora Maggioni, Letizia Squarcina, Diyana Najar, Maysam Homadi, Emma Tassi, Drozdstoy Stoyanov, Paolo Brambilla

Abstract read
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Article in BMJ mental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Sevdalina KandilarovaDepartment of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Research Institute and SRIPD-MUP, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria sevdalina.kandilarova@mu-plovdiv.bg.ORCID 0000-0002-5594-4370
Eleonora MaggioniDepartment of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Lombardy, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-4331-4029
Letizia SquarcinaDepartment of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Diyana NajarMedical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Maysam HomadiMedical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Emma TassiDepartment of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Lombardy, Italy.
Drozdstoy StoyanovDepartment of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Research Institute and SRIPD-MUP, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0002-9975-3680
Paolo BrambillaDepartment of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Lombardy, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDifferentiating major depressive disorder (MDD) from bipolar disorder (BD) remains a significant clinical challenge, as both disorders exhibit overlapping symptoms but require distinct treatment approaches. Advances in voxel-based morphometry and surface-based morphometry have facilitated the identification of structural brain abnormalities that may serve as diagnostic biomarkers.

objectiveThis study aimed to explore the relationships between brain morphological features, such as grey matter volume (GMV) and cortical thickness (CT), and demographic and clinical variables in patients with MDD and BD and healthy controls (HC) using multivariate analysis methods.

methodsA total of 263 participants, including 120 HC, 95 patients with MDD and 48 patients with BD, underwent T1-weighted MRI. GMV and CT were computed for standardised brain regions, followed by multivariate partial least squares (PLS) regression to assess associations with demographic and diagnostic variables.

findingsReductions in frontotemporal CT were observed in MDD and BD compared with HC, but distinct trends between BD and MDD were also detected for the CT of selective temporal, frontal and parietal regions. Differential patterns in cerebellar GMV were also identified, with lobule CI larger in MDD and lobule CII larger in BD. Additionally, BD showed the same trend as ageing concerning reductions in CT and posterior cerebellar and striatal GMV. Depression severity showed a transdiagnostic link with reduced frontotemporal CT.

conclusionsThis study highlights shared and distinct structural brain alterations in MDD and BD, emphasising the potential of neuroimaging biomarkers to enhance diagnostic accuracy. Accelerated cortical thinning and differential cerebellar changes in BD may serve as targets for future research and clinical interventions. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Our findings underscore the value of objective neuroimaging markers in increasing the precision of mood disorder diagnoses, improving treatment outcomes.

Indexed as

Bipolar DisorderCerebellumGray MatterMajor Depressive DisorderAdultFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedMultivariate AnalysisData Interpretation, StatisticalDepression & mood disordersMachine Learning

Identifiers

PMID40499940
PMCPMC12161407

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