Neurodevelopmental Impact of Bipolar Disorder Genetic Risk on Cortical Thickness and Network Topology in Adolescents

Abstract

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a highly heritable psychiatric condition characterized by recurrent mood episodes that commonly manifest during adolescence. Although polygenic risk scores (PRS) effectively quantify genetic susceptibility to BD, the neurobiological correlates of this genetic risk during adolescent brain development remain unclear. Using normative modeling and longitudinal neuroimaging data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort (N = 4519), we examined cortical thickness (CT) deviations and structural covariance network (SCN) alterations in adolescents stratified into high and low BD genetic risk groups based on PRS. Adolescents with high PRS for bipolar disorder exhibited greater cortical thickening in the inferior frontal gyrus and primary visual cortex, whereas those with low PRS demonstrated greater thickening in the posterior cingulate cortex and middle precentral gyrus. These patterns suggest PRS-related variations in cortical maturation, potentially reflecting distinct neurodevelopmental trajectories associated with genetic susceptibility to bipolar disorder. Furthermore, high PRS individuals displayed altered SCN topology, characterized by decreased local clustering and enhanced global network efficiency. Longitudinal data show that these abnormal regions exhibit atypical developmental trajectories, accompanied by a global reorganization of network topology. Additionally, high genetic risk was associated with lifestyle factors, especially correlated with increased positive expectancies toward substance use. Eventually, we found three potential BD risk genes during adolescence, including PLEKHA2, ZSCAN31 and ANK3, encoding the function of the postsynaptic membrane and synaptic membrane. These findings elucidate early neurodevelopmental deviations linked to genetic risk for BD, highlighting potential biomarkers for early identification and targeted interventions.