World J Psychiatry Ment Health Res | Volume 3, Issue 1 | Review Article | Open Access

Putamen Gray Matter Volumes in Neuropsychiatric and Neurodegenerative Disorders

Xingguang Luo^1,2*, Qiao Mao³, Xiaoping Wang⁴ and Chiang-Shan R Li^2,5*

¹Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, China
²Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, USA
³Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, People’s Hospital of Deyang City, China
⁴Department of Neurology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
⁵Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, USA

^*Correspondance to: Xingguang Luo, Chiang-Shan R Li 

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Abstract

Putamen is enriched with dopamine and associated with dopamine-related phenotypes including many neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders that manifest with impairment in motor control, impulsive behavior, and other cognitive deficits. The gray matter volume of the putamen is age-dependent and genetically controlled. In most neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s spectrum disorders, Huntington’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, developmental dyslexia, and major depression, the putamen volume is significantly reduced. On the other hand, in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, especially neurolepticsmedicated patients with schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, and cocaine/amphetamine dependence, the putamen volume is significantly enlarged. Therefore, the putamen volume may serve as a structural neural marker for many neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders and a predictor of treatment outcomes in individuals afflicted with these clinical conditions. We provided an overview of the genetic bases of putamen volume in relation to these neuropsychiatric illnesses and explored potential mechanisms underlying these associations.

Keywords:

Putamen; Gray matter volume; Dopamine; Neuropsychiatric disorder; Neurodegenerative disorder; Genotype

Citation:

Luo X, Mao Q, Wang X, ChiangShan R Li. Putamen Gray Matter Volumes in Neuropsychiatric and Neurodegenerative Disorders. World J Psychiatry Ment Health Res. 2019; 3(1): 1020.