Korean researchers identify brain differences linked to suicide risk

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A Korean research team has identified distinct differences in brain networks among people with depression who have attempted to take their own lives, suggesting that altered neural wiring, not simply more severe symptoms, may increase the risk of suicidal behavior.

Researchers at Korea University Anam Hospital said on Wednesday that patients with depression who had attempted suicide showed weaker connectivity between the brain’s visual cortex, which processes what people see, and the frontal lobe, which governs judgment and emotion. The findings were based on a study of 123 patients diagnosed with depression, compared to 81 participants in a control group, the team said.

The team, led by psychiatry professors Han Kyu-man and Ham Byung-joo, analyzed brain activity using MRI scans taken while patients were at rest, along with clinical data and standard questionnaires on childhood trauma. The researchers focused on how different regions of the brain communicate with one another when a person is not performing any specific task, a method often used to detect underlying network differences.

Patients with prior suicide attempts exhibited markedly reduced functional connectivity between the visual cortex and frontal regions compared to the control group, according to the study. The visual cortex helps reconstruct scenes and images based on incoming visual information, past memories and emotional experiences, while the frontal lobe uses that information to make decisions and modulate feelings.

When the connection between these two regions is weakened, internally generated images or memories may not be effectively relayed to the frontal lobe, making it harder to regulate emotions in response to distressing experiences, the researchers said. This impaired emotional control may increase vulnerability to suicidal behavior in some people with depression.

The study also found that patients who reported more severe physical neglect in childhood showed weaker connectivity between the visual cortex and frontal lobe. The team said this supports the view that inadequate care early in life can hinder the healthy development of brain circuits involved in emotional control, potentially shaping long-term suicide risk.

“Suicide attempts in patients with depression may not simply stem from more severe symptoms, but from differences in the brain’s connectivity structure,” Han said in a statement. He added that the findings underscore the need to assess suicide risk from the perspective of brain network function, beyond observable depressive symptoms.

The results were published in the January edition of the international journal issued by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

If someone you or someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide, contact Korea's Suicide Crisis hotline at 109. To connect with mental health professionals with foreign language assistance, call Danuri Portal's helpline at 1577-1366.