White matter microstructure in relatives of people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder: an ENIGMA meta-analysis
Abstract
Bipolar and psychotic disorders are highly heritable and associated with widespread white matter microstructure abnormalities. In this project, we compare white matter microstructure of unaffected first-degree relatives of individuals with bipolar disorder (FDR-BD) or psychotic disorder (FDR-SZ) to that of control participants. As secondary, exploratory aims, we examined the associations of childhood traumatic experiences and working memory with white matter microstructure across relatives and controls. Finally, we compared participants with BD or SZ to controls. We combined 11 samples from 9 institutions with 408 FDR-BD, 542 FDR-SZ, 841 controls, 255 BD and 464 SZ. Analysis of the diffusion-weighted imaging data followed the ENIGMA pipeline protocols, resulting in mean fractional anisotropy (FA). Sample-level analyses were linear mixed-effects models with group as the main predictor, adjusting for age and sex and correcting for dependence between family members. Samples were combined using random-effects meta-analysis. FDR-BD showed higher FA in the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) than controls. FDR-SZ did not demonstrate any FA differences from controls. Participants with BD or SZ diagnoses from the same samples did show the expected lower FA than controls in several tracts. Working memory scores were more positively related to FA in the PLIC in FDR-SZ than in controls. The level of childhood traumatic experiences was not related to FA. White matter deficits…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Learning from First-Generation Qualitative Approaches in the IS Discipline: An Evolutionary View and Some Implications for Authors and Evaluators (PART 1/2)
- Commentary on the clinical and preclinical dosage limits of interstitially administered magnetic fluids for therapeutic hyperthermia based on current practice and efficacy models
- Prosthesis: New Technological Opportunities and Innovative Biomedical Devices
- The history and future of neural modeling for cochlear implants
- Ryanodine receptors: waking up from refractoriness
- Novel Transgenic Rabbit Model Sheds Light on the Puzzling Role of Matrix Metalloproteinase-12 in Atherosclerosis
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.