ORCID Profile
0000-0002-1213-1986
Current Organisation
The University of Texas at Austin
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Publisher: CMA Joule Inc.
Date: 09-2015
DOI: 10.1503/JPN.140262
Abstract: Previous studies have reported MRI abnormalities of the corpus callosum (CC) in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), although only a few studies have directly compared callosal areas in psychotic versus nonpsychotic patients with this disorder. We sought to compare regional callosal areas in a large international multicentre s le of patients with BD and healthy controls. We analyzed anatomic T1 MRI data of patients with BD-I and healthy controls recruited from 4 sites (France, Germany, Ireland and the United States). We obtained the mid-sagittal areas of 7 CC subregions using an automatic CC delineation. Differences in regional callosal areas between patients and controls were compared using linear mixed models (adjusting for age, sex, handedness, brain volume, history of alcohol abuse/dependence, lithium or antipsychotic medication status, symptomatic status and site) and multiple comparisons correction. We also compared regional areas of the CC between patients with BD with and without a history of psychotic features. We included 172 patients and 146 controls in our study. Patients with BD had smaller adjusted mid-sagittal CC areas than controls along the posterior body, the isthmus and the splenium of the CC. Patients with a positive history of psychotic features had greater adjusted area of the rostral CC region than those without a history of psychotic features. We found small to medium effect sizes, and there was no calibration technique among the sites. Our results suggest that BD with psychosis is associated with a different pattern of interhemispheric connectivity than BD without psychosis and could be considered a relevant neuroimaging subtype of BD.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-02-2016
DOI: 10.1038/MP.2015.227
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-05-2017
DOI: 10.1038/MP.2017.73
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-01-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2023
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-07-2020
DOI: 10.1002/HBM.25098
Abstract: MRI‐derived brain measures offer a link between genes, the environment and behavior and have been widely studied in bipolar disorder (BD). However, many neuroimaging studies of BD have been underpowered, leading to varied results and uncertainty regarding effects. The Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta‐Analysis (ENIGMA) Bipolar Disorder Working Group was formed in 2012 to empower discoveries, generate consensus findings and inform future hypothesis‐driven studies of BD. Through this effort, over 150 researchers from 20 countries and 55 institutions pool data and resources to produce the largest neuroimaging studies of BD ever conducted. The ENIGMA Bipolar Disorder Working Group applies standardized processing and analysis techniques to empower large‐scale meta‐ and mega‐analyses of multimodal brain MRI and improve the replicability of studies relating brain variation to clinical and genetic data. Initial BD Working Group studies reveal widespread patterns of lower cortical thickness, subcortical volume and disrupted white matter integrity associated with BD. Findings also include mapping brain alterations of common medications like lithium, symptom patterns and clinical risk profiles and have provided further insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of BD. Here we discuss key findings from the BD working group, its ongoing projects and future directions for large‐scale, collaborative studies of mental illness.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-04-2023
DOI: 10.1186/S40345-023-00293-9
Abstract: When assessing the value of an intervention in bipolar disorder, researchers and clinicians often focus on metrics that quantify improvements to core diagnostic symptoms (e.g., mania). Providers often overlook or misunderstand the impact of treatment on life quality and function. We wanted to better characterize the shared experiences and obstacles of bipolar disorder within the United States from the patient’s perspective. We recruited 24 in iduals diagnosed with bipolar disorder and six caretakers supporting someone with the condition. Participants were involved in treatment or support services for bipolar disorder in central Texas. As part of this qualitative study, participants discussed their everyday successes and obstacles related to living with bipolar disorder during personalized, open-ended interviews. Audio files were transcribed, and Nvivo software processed an initial thematic analysis. We then categorized themes into bipolar disorder-related obstacles that limit the patient’s capability (i.e., function), comfort (i.e., relief from suffering) and calm (i.e., life disruption) (Liu et al., FebClin Orthop 475:315–317, 2017 Teisberg et al., MayAcad Med 95:682–685, 2020). We then discuss themes and suggest practical strategies that might improve the value of care for patients and their families. Issues regarding capability included the struggle to maintain identity, disruptions to meaningful employment, relationship loss and the unpredictable nature of bipolar disorder. Comfort related themes included the personal perception of diagnosis, social stigma and medication issues. Calm themes included managing dismissive doctors, finding the right psychotherapist and navigating financial burdens. Qualitative data from patients with bipolar disorder helps identify gaps in care or practical limitations to treatment. When we listen to these in iduals, it is clear that treatments must also address the unmet psychosocial impacts of the condition to improve patient care, capability and calm.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-01-2022
DOI: 10.1111/BDI.13176
Abstract: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies comparing bipolar and unipolar depression characterize pathophysiological differences between these conditions. However, it is difficult to interpret the current literature due to differences in MRI modalities, analysis methods, and study designs. We conducted a systematic review of publications using MRI to compare in iduals with bipolar and unipolar depression. We grouped studies according to MRI modality and task design. Within the discussion, we critically evaluated and summarized the functional MRI research and then further complemented these findings by reviewing the structural MRI literature. We identified 88 MRI publications comparing participants with bipolar depression and unipolar depressive disorder. Compared to in iduals with unipolar depression, participants with bipolar disorder exhibited heightened function, increased within network connectivity, and reduced grey matter volume in salience and central executive network brain regions. Group differences in default mode network function were less consistent but more closely associated with depressive symptoms in participants with unipolar depression but distractibility in bipolar depression. When comparing mood disorder groups, the neuroimaging evidence suggests that in iduals with bipolar disorder are more influenced by emotional and sensory processing when responding to their environment. In contrast, depressive symptoms and neurofunctional response to emotional stimuli were more closely associated with reduced central executive function and less adaptive cognitive control of emotionally oriented brain regions in unipolar depression. Researchers now need to replicate and refine network-level trends in these heterogeneous mood disorders and further characterize MRI markers associated with early disease onset, progression, and recovery.
No related grants have been discovered for Jorge Almeida.