Researchers observed brain abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex and related brain areas in adolescents that have attempted suicide.
The findings suggest these types of brain abnormalities are linked to suicide risk in young people suffering from mood disorders, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology reported.
Most suicide attempts are made by people with mood disorders, such as bipolar and major depressive disorder. Early intervention is essential in adolescents exhibiting suicidal behavior, and the development of new interventions could be achieved through new insights into how brain structure and function are linked to these tendencies.
To make their findings, researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look at the brain structure and function of adolescents and young adults between the ages of 14 and 25. Sixty-eight of these participants had bipolar disorders, 26 of which had attempted suicide; the study also included 45 healthy participants of the same age range.
Researchers found that, when compared with bipolar patients who did not attempt suicide and healthy control subjects, those who had attempted suicide showed less "integrity" of white matter in key frontal brain systems. One of these systems was the uncinate fasciculus, which is a fiber tract that connects the frontal lobe with other brain areas responsible for controlling emotion, motivation and memory.
The weaknesses in these structural connections were linked to weaker connections between the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, which suggests that white matter deficits interfere with the ability of these key systems to work together. The team also observed a link between circuitry deficits and suicidal ideation, which is the number and potential lethality of past suicide attempts.
This work was supported by grants from the National Institute on Mental Health, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the International Bipolar Foundation.
