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Posted by cool09 in Current Events

Abnormalities Found in Brains of Young Bipolar Patients Who Try Suicide - MedicineNet

Mood Disorders Research Program > Psychiatry | Yale School of Medicine

TUESDAY, Dec. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Teens and young adults who attempted suicide were found to have abnormalities in the frontal areas of their brains, a new study says.

Researchers conducted brain scans on 68 participants, aged 14 to 25, with bipolar disorder, a mental illness that causes extreme emotional highs and lows. Of those patients, 26 had attempted suicide. Brain scans were also done on a control group of 45 teens and young adults without bipolar disorder.

Compared to bipolar patients who had not attempted suicide and those in the control group, the participants who attempted suicide had abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex and related areas of the brain.

Specifically, those who tried suicide had less "integrity" of white matter in key frontal brain systems, including one that connects the frontal lobe with areas that control emotion, motivation and memory, the researchers said.

These white matter abnormalities may disrupt the ability of these areas to work together, according to researcher Hilary Blumberg and colleagues at the Yale School of Medicine.

The researchers also found a link between white matter deficits in these structural connections and the number of suicide attempts and the seriousness of those attempts.

The findings suggest that white matter abnormalities in the brain's frontal systems may be associated with suicide risk in teens and young adults with mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and depression, the researchers concluded.

Roughly 4 percent of Americans have bipolar disorder. Of those with the disorder, 25 percent to 50 percent attempt suicide, and 15 percent to 20 percent die of suicide.

The new study was to be presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, in Phoenix.

Research presented at medical meetings is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

-- Robert Preidt

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There has been a theory for quite some time that the neural pathways between the limbic system (emotional) and pre frontal cortex (rational) are "whacked".

I believe TMS is based on this theory but I think it is a crude tool.

thanks for the artickle

deffenetly interesting

[avlady]

Interesting,,,!

[JoeGrun11b]

The VA has been trying to link PTSD with brain abnormalities so they don't have to pay veterans for effects from combat. They told me a study was going on that showed a possible link to the size of the hippocampus. Maybe it's true maybe not. But even though we may have a propensity toward a certain way of thinking doesn't mean it wasn't an event or series of events that pushed our brains to the point they are at.

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Originally Posted by JoeGrun11b

The VA has been trying to link PTSD with brain abnormalities so they don't have to pay veterans for effects from combat. They told me a study was going on that showed a possible link to the size of the hippocampus. Maybe it's true maybe not. But even though we may have a propensity toward a certain way of thinking doesn't mean it wasn't an event or series of events that pushed our brains to the point they are at.

There is evidence that some people with depression have a smaller hippocampus.

I believe there is also evidence that shows that very traumatic events do effect the brain in an otherwise normal person. I am sure some vets go in predisposed to depression or don't handle stress as well but I think severe trauma causes changes in someone not predisposed. If the VA is trying to wiggle out of responsibility that is just BS. Even if someone is predisposed or went in with mental health issues and combat triggered it or made things ten times worse why should the VA wiggle out of it. I mean I agree with you 100%.

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If you read this article it is saying that traumatic stress itself causes changes in structure, pathways, and chemistry of the brain. Not a pre existing condition but caused by the severe trauma. I think I would print it and shove it their face.

Traumatic stress: effects on the brain

Traumatic stress has a broad range of effects on brain function and structure, as well as on neuropsychological components of memory. Brain areas implicated in the stress response include the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Neurochemical systems, including Cortisol and norepinephrine, play a critical role in the stress response. These brain areas play an important role in the stress response. They also play a critical role in memory, highlighting the important interplay between memory and the traumatic stress response. Preclinical studies show that stress affects these brain areas. Furthermore, antidepressants have effects on the hippocampus that counteract the effects of stress. In fact, promotion of nerve growth (neurogenesis) in the hippocampus may be central to the efficacy of the antidepressants. Studies in patients with PTSD show alterations in brain areas implicated in animal studies, including the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex, as well as in neurochemical stress response systems, including Cortisol and norepinephrine. Treatments that are efficacious for PTSD show a promotion of neurogenesis in animal studies, as well as promotion of memory and increased hippocampal volume in PTSD. Future studies are needed to assess neural mechanisms in treatment response in PTSD.