Investigating neural correlates in non-prodromal individuals at familial high-risk for psychotic and bipolar disorders: A multimodal MRI approach


Demir M., Demirlek C., Verim B., Çimentepe-Sezer Ç., Eyüboğlu M. S., Cesim E., ...Daha Fazla

Psychiatry Research - Neuroimaging, cilt.360, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 360
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2026.112228
  • Dergi Adı: Psychiatry Research - Neuroimaging
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Psycinfo
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Bipolar disorder, Familial high-risk, Graph theory, Multimodal MRI, Psychotic disorders, white matter
  • Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Neuroimaging studies in familial high-risk (FHR) individuals are vital for identifying vulnerability markers independent of overt illness. However, research on purely non-prodromal FHR cohorts using comparative multimodal approaches remains limited. This study addresses this gap through multimodal MRI analysis—including cortical morphometry, white matter microstructure, tractography, and functional connectivity—in non-prodromal FHR for psychosis (FHR-P, n = 18), bipolar disorder (FHR-BD, n = 19), and healthy controls (HC, n = 25). FHR-BD showed increased right inferior parietal surface area and right middle temporal volume compared to HC. Conversely, FHR-P exhibited reduced right superior frontal cortical thickness compared to FHR-BD and decreased left pallidum volume compared to HC. White matter analysis revealed significantly lower fractional anisotropy in FHR-P compared to both FHR-BD and HC. FHR-BD showed higher axial diffusivity than HC in the forceps minor, uncinate fasciculus, and right-fronto-occipital fasciculus. No significant differences were found in network-based statistics or graph theoretical measures. These findings reveal shared and distinct neurobiological alterations in non-prodromal FHR-P and FHR-BD, suggesting that grey and white matter disruptions constitute endophenotypes even without clinical symptoms. The lack of network-level findings may reflect the modest sample size, requiring further investigation in larger cohorts.