Facial Biomarkers Detect Gender?Specific Traits for Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric associated with brain and neurodevelopmental alterations. As in other disorders, patients BD present minor Physical Anomalies (MPAs) higher frequency than healthy subjects. MPAs are subtle signs of developmental deviation that appear body regions share the ectodermal origin likely triggered by same insults altering early development mental disorders. thus considered potential biomarkers for In this study, we compared facial shape variation between controls using 3D reconstructions from magnetic resonance images (MRI) to test as biomarker diagnosis. Moreover, assessed sex-specific whether affects differently male female patients. We collected coordinates 20 anatomical landmarks sample 174 subjects (87 87 controls) analyzed global local patterns Geometric Morphometrics multivariate statistical techniques. Although Procrustes-ANOVA analysis revealed diagnosis accounted low but significant effect (1.1% total variance, P-value=0.016), did not significantly discriminate (P-value=0.19). However, Euclidean Distance Matrix Analysis (EDMA) based on distances face 16.8% traits were different controls. Remarkably, differences sex-specific, suggesting has These findings show could be used an improved raise awareness importance studying sex disorders develop more specific efficient treatments.