See schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in face shape?

A new study identifies subtle differences in face shape that could be linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. According to the conclusions, these facial patterns would be associated with some measurements of the cerebral cortex.

The study was carried out by scientists from the University of Barcelona (UB), the FIDMAG Foundation in Barcelona, ​​the Mental Health Network Biomedical Research Center (CIBERSAM) and other entities.

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are serious psychiatric disorders that affect about sixty-five million people worldwide. The presence of a heterogeneous combination of symptoms, together with a high diversity in the trajectory and response to treatments, makes it difficult to understand its causes and make an accurate diagnosis.

Environmental and genetic factors influence the process of brain development and maturation. In some cases, subtle changes in this development can contribute to an increased risk of psychiatric disorders. In this context, the study is based on the embryonic development shared between the face and the brain, and identifies the shape of the face as an indirect marker of changes in the brain related to these diagnoses, while indicating that there would be specific patterns of each sex.

In the case of schizophrenia, the study showed significant facial differences between people with this disease and people without it, as well as specific differences for each sex. Furthermore, in the case of women, the diagnosis of schizophrenia explained a greater percentage of facial variation (5.9%), compared to that of men (4.2%). In contrast, in bipolar disorder, significant facial differences were only detected in male patients.

What was discovered in this research may be useful to help make more accurate diagnoses of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. (Image: research team / UB)

As the first author of the work, Noemí Hostalet (UB, FIDMAG, CIBERSAM) explains, the facial characteristics associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are very subtle and undetectable with the naked eye. In this sense, researchers Neus Martínez-Abadías (UB) and Mar Fatjó-Vilas (UB, FIDMAG, CIBERSAM) detail that “in isolation, facial characteristics would therefore not serve to diagnose these disorders. The same goes for other morphological features of the brain and genetic characteristics. No biomarker, by itself, has sufficient diagnostic potential.

The team points out that “the hypothesis is that, if we combine the potential of facial, brain and genetic biomarkers, we could develop a complementary tool to the clinical interview that could help doctors make diagnoses more quickly and accurately. Therefore, this research could represent a potential complementary tool to current ones to make earlier and more precise diagnoses, as long as they are integrated by rigorously guaranteeing the necessary ethical and privacy aspects.

To deploy this biomedical tool, it will still be necessary to carry out more research and develop very strict data protection methods to guarantee its use in the strictly medical field, with the guarantee of meeting all ethical and privacy requirements. In this type of research, it is essential to avoid misuse of highly sensitive data, which could lead to discrimination against people diagnosed with mental disorders.

For now, the team is working to expand and replicate the analyzes carried out in a larger population sample. In parallel, new approaches are also addressed to integrate different facial and brain markers with genomic data. With the combination of biological, biometric and clinical markers, the team wants to contribute to achieving a better understanding of the origin of mental disorders and develop tools that help diagnose them.

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The study is titled “Face-brain correlates as potential sex-specific biomarkers for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.” And it has been published in the academic journal Psychiatry Research. (Source: UB)