Alterations of Cortical Thickness Associated with Suicidality
Poster No:
403
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Ji Yoon Ham1, Sanghyuk Lee1, HyunJu Kim1, JiEun Kim2
Institutions:
1CHA Bundang Medical Center, Gyeonggi-do, Seongnam-si, 2Department of Family Environment and Welfare, Chonnam National University, Republic of Korea, Gwangju, Jeonnam
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
JiEun Kim
Department of Family Environment and Welfare, Chonnam National University, Republic of Korea
Gwangju, Jeonnam
Department of Family Environment and Welfare, Chonnam National University, Republic of Korea
Gwangju, Jeonnam
Introduction:
Patients with panic disorder (PD) are approximately four times more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and attempts compared to healthy controls (HCs). Despite this elevated risk, the relationship between cortical thickness (CT) in PD and suicidality remains underexplored. This study aims to identify the neural correlates of suicidality in PD patients and examine the association between suicidal brain regions and PD-related symptomatology.
Methods:
A total of 161 right-handed participants, including 82 patients with PD and 79 HCs, were enrolled in the study. To evaluate clinical symptomatology and functionality at baseline, all participants were assessed using the Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI), Early Trauma Inventory, Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness-Personaltiy Inventory-Neuroticism, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait, Panic Disorder Severity Scale, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and Sheehan Disability Scale. Treatment response, a reduction of more than 40% in PDSS score in PD after starting pharmacotherapy, was assessed through follow-up assessment of PDSS at 8 weeks from pre-treatment baseline. All participants underwent T1-weighted MRI scanning using a 3T scanner. Cortical thickness was quantified using FreeSurfer, and whole-brain correlation analyses were performed, supplemented by exploratory Pearson's correlation analyses.
Results:
Patients with PD demonstrated significantly lower CT values in the insula, lateral occipital sulcus, superior frontal gyrus, superior parietal lobule, inferior temporal gyrus, and middle temporal gyrus compared to HCs. Notably, paradoxical significant positive correlations were observed between SSI total scores and CT values in the insula, lateral occipital sulcus, precentral gyrus, rostral middle frontal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, and precuneus within the PD cohort. Exploratory analyses further indicated that CT in these regions may be linked to high levels of early trauma, trait anxiety, lower 8wk pharmacological treatment response, and reduced functionality in PD patients.
·Relationship between suicidality levels and cortical thickness in patients with panic disorder
Conclusions:
This study revealed that patients with PD exhibit reduced CT in brain regions associated with the extended fear network. Additionally, the findings suggest that suicidality in PD may be associated with CT in specific regions known as suicidal brain and that CT in these regions could play a critical role in the severity of anxiety symptomatology, poor short-term pharmacological treatment response, and functional impairment in PD.
Disorders of the Nervous System:
Psychiatric (eg. Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia) 1
Emotion, Motivation and Social Neuroscience:
Emotion and Motivation Other 2
Keywords:
Affective Disorders
Anxiety
MRI
Psychiatric
Psychiatric Disorders
STRUCTURAL MRI
Other - Panic disorder; Suicidality; Cortical thickness; Anxiety symptomatology
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Provide references using APA citation style.
Asami, T., Takaishi, M., Nakamura, R., Yoshida, H., Yoshimi, A., Whitford, T. J., Inoue, T., & Hirayasu, Y. (2018). Cortical thickness reductions in the middle frontal cortex in patients with panic disorder. Journal of affective disorders, 240, 199–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.07.064
Lai C. H. (2019). Fear Network Model in Panic Disorder: The Past and the Future. Psychiatry investigation, 16(1), 16–26. https://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2018.05.04.2