Severe irritability is common in youths with psychiatric disorders and results in significant dysfunction across domains (academic, social, and familial). Prior structural MRI studies in the pediatric population demonstrated that aberrations of cortical thickness (CT) and gray matter volume (GMV) in the fronto-striatal-temporal regions which have been associated with irritability. However, the directions of the correlations between structural alteration and irritability in the individual indices were not consistent. Thus, we aim to address this by implementing comprehensive assessments of CT, GMV, and local gyrification index (LGI) simultaneously in youths with severe levels of irritability by voxel-based morphometry and surface-based morphometry. One hundred and eight adolescents (46 youths with severe irritability and 62 healthy youths, average age = 14.08 years, standard deviation = 2.36) were scanned with a T1-weighted MRI sequence. The severity of irritability was measured using the affective reactivity index. In youths with severe irritability, there was decreased CT, GMV, and LGI in the right superior frontal gyrus (SFG) compared to healthy youths, and negative correlations between these indices of the SFG and irritability. Our findings suggest that structural deficits in the SFG, potentially related to its role in inhibitory control, may be critical for the neurobiology of irritability.

中文翻译：

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青少年重度易激惹右侧额上回结构性萎缩

严重的易怒在患有精神疾病的青少年中很常见，并导致跨领域（学术、社交和家庭）的严重功能障碍。先前在儿科人群中的结构 MRI 研究表明，额-纹状体-颞区的皮质厚度 (CT) 和灰质体积 (GMV) 异常与易怒有关。然而，各个指标的结构改变和易怒之间的相关性方向并不一致。因此，我们的目标是通过基于体素的形态测量和基于表面的形态测量同时对严重易激惹的青少年进行 CT、GMV 和局部回转指数 (LGI) 的综合评估来解决这个问题。108名青少年（46名严重易怒的青少年和62名健康的青少年，平均年龄 = 14.08 岁，标准偏差 = 2.36）用 T1 加权 MRI 序列扫描。使用情感反应指数测量易怒的严重程度。与健康青年相比，在严重易怒的青少年中，右侧额上回（SFG）的CT、GMV和LGI降低，并且这些SFG指标与易怒呈负相关。我们的研究结果表明，SFG 的结构缺陷可能与其在抑制控制中的作用有关，可能对易怒的神经生物学至关重要。与健康青年相比，右侧额上回 (SFG) 的 LGI 和 LGI 以及这些 SFG 指数与易怒性之间呈负相关。我们的研究结果表明，SFG 的结构缺陷可能与其在抑制控制中的作用有关，可能对易怒的神经生物学至关重要。与健康青年相比，右侧额上回 (SFG) 的 LGI 和 LGI 以及这些 SFG 指数与易怒性之间呈负相关。我们的研究结果表明，SFG 的结构缺陷可能与其在抑制控制中的作用有关，可能对易怒的神经生物学至关重要。