| Title: | Cingulum Bundle White Matter in Bipolar Disorder: Relationship with Impulsivity and Suicide Attempt |
| Journal: | Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging |
| Published: | 16 May 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42144073/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2026.05.003 |
Publication 20016
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder (BD) has one of the highest suicide rates among mental disorders. Although the fronto-limbic brain network has been implicated in both BD and suicide, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying suicide in BD remain poorly understood. This study examined fronto-limbic white matter microstructure and its link to suicide attempts in BD in two independent samples.</p>
METHODS: The initial cohort comprised United States (US) military veterans with BD with (BD/SA+; n=21) or without (BD/SA-; n=23) a suicide attempt history. Fractional anisotropy (FA) in the cingulum cingulate (CGC), cingulum hippocampus (CGH), and uncinate fasciculus (UF) were examined using diffusion tensor imaging and correlated with the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale. We sought to replicate neuroimaging findings in an independent population-based sample of 44 BD/SA+ and 321 BD/SA- from the UK Biobank.</p>
RESULTS: Compared with BD/SA-, the BD/SA+ group in the US veteran sample demonstrated lower FA in the CGH (p=.036; ηp2=.111), which was associated with greater impulsivity (negative urgency domain; rs=-.318, p=.035). We replicated the finding of lower FA in the CGH in BD/SA+ compared with BD/SA- (p=.010, ηp2=.019) in the UK Biobank sample. FA did not differ in the CGC or UF between attempters and non-attempters in either sample.</p>
CONCLUSIONS: Consistent findings in two independent samples from different demographic backgrounds suggest that lower putative white matter integrity in the cingulum hippocampus is associated with suicide attempts in BD. Negative urgency may help explain the association between lower white matter integrity of the cingulum and risk of suicide attempts.</p>
8 Authors
- Chi C Chan
- Suril Gohel
- Samantha I Fradkin
- M Mehmet Haznedar
- King-Wai Chu
- Marianne Goodman
- Erin A Hazlett
- Philip R Szeszko
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 96700 | Identifying Biotypes of Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior |
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