Neurobiological Commonalities and Distinctions among Three Major Psychiatric Diagnostic Categories: A Structural MRI Study

Abstract

Background: Schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD) are distinct diagnostic categories in current psychiatric nosology, yet there is increasing evidence for shared clinical and biological features in these disorders. No previous studies have examined brain structural features concurrently in these 3 disorders. The aim of this study was to identify the extent of shared and distinct brain alterations in SZ, BD, and MDD. We examined gray matter (GM) volume and white matter (WM) integrity in a total of 485 individuals (135 with SZ, 86 with BD, 108 with MDD, and 156 healthy controls [HC]) who underwent high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at a single site. Results: Significant 4-group (SZ, BD, MDD, and HC groups) differences (P