Research progress of brain magnetic resonance imaging related to suicide in bipolar disorder patients

Bipolar disorder, as a major mental illness, has a high lifetime suicide attempt rate in patients, and suicidal behavior is most likely to occur during depressive episodes. Therefore, in-depth study of its mechanism is essential for prevention, early detection and intervention of suicide. With the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, it has been found that there are abnormalities in the brain structure and function in suicidal patients with bipolar disorder. This article reviews the studies on suicide in bipolar disorder patients by MRI from four aspects: structure, function, structure-function, and central metabolism and cerebral blood flow perfusion, and summarizes the suicide-related changes. This review focuses on distinguishing the brain MRI changes under different mood states and diverse definitions of suicide, aiming to provide reference for further exploration of the pathophysiological mechanism of suicide in bipolar disorder.