Background Based on growing evidence of the crucial role of the cerebellum in emotional regulation, we sought to identify cerebellar structural deficits in a large sample of patients with bipolar disorder (BD). Methods Cerebellar gray matter density was examined in 49 BD patients (24 medication-naive and 25 medication-treated) and 50 carefully matched healthy individuals, using voxel-based morphometry with a high-resolution spatially unbiased atlas template of the human cerebellum. This recently developed methodology is specifically optimized for the assessment of cerebellar structures. We further explored whether antimanic treatment could attenuate cerebellar structural deficits. Results BD patients showed a greater reduction in gray matter density of the posterior cerebellar regions, including the bilateral vermi and the right crus relative to healthy individuals (corrected p < .05). A stepwise linear reduction in gray matter density was observed in bilateral vermal regions between healthy individuals, medication-treated, and medication-naive BD patients. Furthermore, positive correlations of longer duration of illness with bilateral vermal gray matter deficits were observed only in medication-naive BD patients, but not in patients with medication history. Limitations This study adopted a cross-sectional design. The automatic intensity-normalization method for the measurement of cerebellar gray matter density may have a limitation in providing detailed anatomical information at a cerebellar folia level. Conclusions The current findings suggest that BD-related deficits in the posterior cerebellar regions, which appear to progress over the course of illness, could potentially be ameliorated by proper treatment with mood stabilizers.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) usually begins in childhood and adolescence and causes lifelong damage to several major organs including the brain. Despite increasing evidence of T1DM-induced structural deficits in cortical regions implicated in higher cognitive and emotional functions, little is known whether and how the structural connectivity between these regions is altered in the T1DM brain. Using inter-regional covariance of cortical thickness measurements from high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance data, we examined the topological organizations of cortical structural networks in 81 T1DM patients and 38 healthy subjects. We found a relative absence of hierarchically high-level hubs in the prefrontal lobe of T1DM patients, which suggests ineffective top-down control of the prefrontal cortex in T1DM. Furthermore, inter-network connections between the strategic/executive control system and systems subserving other cortical functions including language and mnemonic/emotional processing were also less integrated in T1DM patients than in healthy individuals. The current results provide structural evidence for T1DM-related dysfunctional cortical organization, which specifically underlie the top-down cognitive control of language, memory, and emotion.

This study was aimed to examine the mental health status of immigrant women through international marriages and its effects on emotional and behavioral problems of children. Seventy-four intermarried immigrant women and 86 native Korean women were enrolled from the same district of Seoul metropolitan area. The mental health problems of study participants and their children were examined. Increased risks of having a higher level of anxiety were observed in immigrant women compared to native Korean women. Children of the immigrant group were likely to have more internalizing and externalizing behavioral symptoms than those of the native group. This pattern was more apparent in children of mothers with higher levels of anxiety. The present study found a higher risk for mild anxiety in intermarried immigrants than in native Korean women. Furthermore, considering that immigrant children seemed to have more emotional and behavioral problems relative to native children if their mothers have higher levels of anxiety, special attention should be paid to prevention and early intervention for mental health problems of intermarried immigrant women.

South Korea is changing into a multi-cultural society, due to an increase in international marriage, foreign workers and transcultural immigration. In addition, the number of North Korean defectors entering South Korea has increased and now, there are approximately 25000. Therefore, this review have focused on a research that pertains to adaptation and mental health concerns of their children. Children who have immigrated themselves or whose parents have immigrated, might experience language barriers, difficulties in school adjustment, identity confusion and mental health problems. However, their academic performance and developmental status are known to be variable and be affected by socioeconomic status and their parents' educational level. Studies that evaluated the psychological problems of North Korean adolescent refugees' indicated the need for interests in both emotional and behavioral problems. The risk factors of North Korean adolescent refugees' mental health are suggested to be past traumatic experiences, long duration of defection and short period of adaptation. When mental health professionals provide assessment and treatment, they should consider the pre-and post-migration experiences & cultural background that affect the illness behaviors and attitudes toward mental illnesses. Lastly, the majority of children with multi-cultural background are still under an adolescent period and we should follow up with long-term perspectives.