Multidisciplinary Perspective

White Matter Injury, Neural Connectivity and the Pathophysiology of Psychiatric Disorders
Anand Kumar, Ian A. Cook

Department of Psychiatry and The Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of California, LosAngeles,Calif.,USA

Address of Corresponding Author

Dev Neurosci 2002;24:255-261 (DOI: 10.1159/000066746)

  Key Words

• White matter
• Connectivity
• Myelin
• Axons
• Mood disorder
• Psychiatric disorders

  Abstract

Psychiatric disorders are characterized by diverse clinical manifestations that include deficits in cognition, perception, mood and arousal. These complex processes are not mediated by any specific brain region but require the coordinated activity of several areas that are anatomically connected. Impairments in these neural circuits may therefore be expected to result in an attenuation of the functions regulated by them. The white matter provides the structural and physiological substrate of neural circuits in the central nervous system. We propose that injury to the white matter, from diverse biological sources, may compromise neural connectivity by associated axonal injury or impaired conductivity. Either mechanism could result in clusters of signs and symptoms that are currently recognized as psychiatric disorders. The role of white matter impairment in the pathophysiology of psychiatric illness is under-appreciated in the neurosciences. Focused translational research aimed at identifying the links between white matter compromise and specific behaviors are necessary for a more thorough understanding of the etiology of mental illness to emerge.

Copyright © 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Anand Kumar, 37-384B
Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of California, Los Angeles
760 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90024 (USA)
Tel. +1 310 206 4405, Fax +1 310 794 9011, E-Mail akumar@mednet.ucla.edu

  Article Information

Received: Received: April 25, 2002
Accepted: July 11, 2002
Number of Figures : 1, Number of Tables : 0, Number of References : 60