The DOI matches its Crossref record; 87 of the 87 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Structural and functional alterations of the suicidal brain: An updated review of neuroimaging studies
Abstract
Brain imaging is a non-invasive and in vivo direct estimation of detailed brain structure, regional brain functioning and estimation of molecular processes in the brain. The main objective of this review was to analyze functional and structural neuroimaging studies of individuals at risk for suicide. We reviewed articles published between 2005 and 2018, indexed in PubMed and Medline, assessing structural and functional alterations of the brain of individuals at high risk for suicide and at low risk for suicide. We reviewed functional and structural neuroimaging studies which included individuals with a history of suicidal ideation or attempt in major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD), psychosis, and borderline personality disorder (BPD). We selected 45 papers that focused on suicidality in MDD, 17 papers on BD, 11 papers on psychosis, and 5 papers on BPD. The suicidal brain across psychiatric diagnoses seems to heavily involve dysfunction of the fronto-temporal network, primarily involving reductions of gray and white matter volumes in the pre-frontal cortex (PFC), anterior cingulate, and superior temporal gyrus. Nonetheless, there are several ways to define suicidal behaviour and ideation. Therefore, it still remains difficult to combine the evidence from imaging studies that used different definitions of suicidality.
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“Several prior reviews have highlighted brain regions implicated in suicidal (32, 45–49) and non-suicidal behaviors (39, 50).”
From Neural correlates associated with suicide and nonsuicidal self-injury in youth (2021) · cites this paper as [46]
Citations
Cites
Risks of all-cause and suicide mortality in mental disorders: a meta-review
Chesney, E., Goodwin, G. M., & Fazel, S. (2014) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20128 · Cited by 2,115
van Heeringen, K., & Mann, J. J. (2014) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(14)70220-2 · Cited by 550
The suicidal mind and brain: A review of neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies
Jollant, F., Lawrence, N. L., Olié, E., Guillaume, S., & Courtet, P. (2011) · The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.3109/15622975.2011.556200 · Cited by 363
Monkul, E. S., Hatch, J. P., Nicoletti, M. A., Spence, S., Brambilla, P., Lacerda, A. L. T., Sassi, R. B., Mallinger, A. G., Keshavan, M. S., & Soares, J. C. (2002) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001919 · Cited by 331
Jollant, F., Lawrence, N. S., Olie, E., O'Daly, O., Malafosse, A., Courtet, P., & Phillips, M. L. (2010) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.03.027 · Cited by 312
Reward Signals, Attempted Suicide, and Impulsivity in Late-Life Depression
Dombrovski, A. Y., Szanto, K., Clark, L., Reynolds, C. F., & Siegle, G. J. (2013) · JAMA Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.75 · Cited by 289
Orbitofrontal cortex response to angry faces in men with histories of suicide attempts
Jollant, F., Lawrence, N. S., Giampietro, V., Brammer, M. J., Fullana, M. A., Drapier, D., Courtet, P., & Phillips, M. L. (2008) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.07081239 · Cited by 262
Johnston, J. A. Y., Wang, F., Liu, J., Blond, B. N., Wallace, A., Liu, J., Spencer, L., Cox Lippard, E. T., Purves, K. L., Landeros-Weisenberger, A., et al. (2017) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2016.15050652 · Cited by 247
Wagner, G., Koch, K., Schachtzabel, C., Schultz, C. C., Sauer, H., & Schlösser, R. G. M. (2010) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.08.082 · Cited by 235
Structural and functional neuroimaging studies of the suicidal brain
Desmyter, S., Heeringen, C. V., & Audenaert, K. (2011) · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.12.026 · Cited by 216
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Gracia, H. A., Miskowiak, K. W., Macoveanu, J., Kessing, L. V., Vieta, E., Knudsen, G. M., Frøkjær, V. G., & Sankar, A. (2025) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.09.040
Shen, D., Luo, D., Lai, M., Tao, H., Xu, J., & Li, J. (2025) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-025-07603-8
“STG abnormalities are not specific for substance addiction disorders, but also observed in suicide brain [28], clinical high-risk (CHR) states for psychosis [29], and schizophrenia [30].”
Zhou, C., Jiang, R., Zhang, A., Lv, X., Wanyan, Y., Cui, J., Li, K., Ping, L., Yu, H., & Li, S. (2025) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-7853752/v1
Additional file 1 of Electroretinography and suicidal behaviors: a systematic review
Kaggwa, M. M., Prat, S. S., Davids, A., Robbins, A., Erb, B., Mамак, М., Chaimowitz, G. A., & Olagunju, A. T. (2024) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.26654830
Li, T., Wang, Y., Li, F., Chen, X., Lu, B., Wang, Y., Li, X., Wang, Z., Li, H., Liao, Y., et al. (2026) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2026.121200
Topological alterations in suicide attempters: exploring the role of the pain network
Chen, Y., Li, H., Hao, Z., Lin, Y., Wen, X., & Wang, X. (2025) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhaf347
Cingulum Bundle White Matter in Bipolar Disorder: Relationship With Impulsivity and Suicide Attempt
Chan, C. C., Gohel, S., Fradkin, S. I., Haznedar, M. M., Chu, K.-W., Goodman, M. S., Hazlett, E. A., & Szeszko, P. R. (2026) · Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2026.05.003
Restoring Grey Matter Through Treatment
Bennett, M. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-95-9594-5_11
Zhang, M., Zhou, A., Liu, M., Wang, Y., Shi, J., Chen, Y., Hua, L., Yan, R., Yao, Z., & Lu, Q. (2026) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-026-08333-1
“Previous postmortem studies have shown that individuals who died by suicide exhibit atrophy in structures such as the frontal lobe, hippocampus, caudate, thalamus, and anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG) [38].”
Wen, X., Han, B., Zhang, J., Gao, Y., Fengge, Y., Dou, F., Hao, Z., Li, H., & Hou, G. (2026) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2026.122383
Brain network-driven predictive neural markers for suicide risk
Lee, Y., Gilbert, J. R., Fatt, C. C., Stout, J. D., Waldman, L. R., Lamontagne, S. J., Zarate, C. A., & Ballard, E. D. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1950068
Metadata
- Authors
- Bani-Fatemi, A., Tasmim, S., Graff-Guerrero, A., Gerretsen, P., Strauss, J., Kolla, N., Spalletta, G., & De Luca, V.
- Affiliations
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CA)
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- Venue
- Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-08
- Volume
- 278
- Pages
- 77-91
- ISSN
- 0925-4927 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2803650243
- Cited by
- 112
- References
- 87
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 1.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Keywords
- suicide, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, brain structure, brain function, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, psychosis, borderline personality disorder, fronto-temporal network, prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, superior temporal gyrus, gray matter volume, white matter volume
- MeSH terms
- Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Brain, Major Depressive Disorder, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Suicidal Ideation, Neuroimaging, White Matter
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