Applying dimensional psychopathology: transdiagnostic associations among regional homogeneity, leptin and depressive symptoms

Abstract

Dimensional psychopathology and its neurobiological underpinnings could provide important insights into major psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. In a dimensional transdiagnostic approach, we examined depressive symptoms and their relationships with regional homogeneity and leptin across major psychiatric disorders. A total of 728 participants (including 403 patients with major psychiatric disorders and 325 age-gender-matched healthy controls) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging at a single site. We obtained plasma leptin levels and depressive symptom measures (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD)) within 24 h of scanning and compared the regional homogeneity (ReHo), plasma leptin levels and HAMD total score and factor scores between patients and healthy controls. To reveal the potential relationships, we performed correlational and mediational analyses. Patients with major psychiatric disorders had significant lower ReHo in primary sensory and visual association cortices and higher ReHo in the frontal cortex and angular gyrus; plasma leptin levels were also elevated. Furthermore, ReHo alterations, leptin and HAMD factor scores had significant correlations. We also found that leptin mediated the transdiagnostic relationships among ReHo alterations in primary somatosensory and visual association cortices, core depressive symptoms and body mass index. The transdiagnostic associations we demonstrated support the common neuroanatomical substrates and neurobiological mechanisms. Moreover, leptin could be an important association among ReHo, core depressive symptoms and body mass index, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for dimensional depressive symptoms across major psychiatric disorders.

Visual cortex repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) reversing neurodevelopmental impairments in adolescents with major psychiatric disorders (MPDs): A cross‐species translational study

“…In the present study, MAM rats were observed to have significantly increased ReHo in the frontal regions and decreased ReHo in the posterior primary cortex, suggesting that frontal‐posterior functional imbalance may be the neurodevelopmental basis for MPDs. A series of our previous research using multiple neuroimaging modalities has consistently shown that increased frontal functional activity and decreased posterior functional activity are shared features across MPDs 34–37 . In addition, in our recent work, patients with MPDs who showed a frontal‐posterior functional imbalance had higher genetic vulnerability with increased Polygenic Risk Score for Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder (PRS‐SZBD) and enriched risk gene expression in brain regions including the frontal cortex, limbic system and basal ganglia 14 .…”

“…A series of our previous research using multiple neuroimaging modalities has consistently shown that increased frontal functional activity and decreased posterior functional activity are shared features across MPDs. 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 In addition, in our recent work, patients with MPDs who showed a frontal‐posterior functional imbalance had higher genetic vulnerability with increased Polygenic Risk Score for Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder (PRS‐SZBD) and enriched risk gene expression in brain regions including the frontal cortex, limbic system and basal ganglia. 14 These findings support our present result, highlighting that the genetic and neurodevelopmental factors contribute to the neuroimaging pattern of frontal‐posterior imbalance.…”

Forensic neuropsychopathological analysis on altered brain structures in combat veterans: A systematic review

“…Depression impacts the anterior cingulate and insular cortices of the brain (Besteher et al, 2022;Kühn et al, 2021;Corbo et al, 2016). Additionally, the precuneus and temporal areas of the DFN were affected; however, not as significant as alterations within the cortices (Besteher et al, 2022;Wei et al, 2020).…”

Applying dimensional psychopathology: transdiagnostic prediction of executive cognition using brain connectivity and inflammatory biomarkers

“…The connectivity between neuron density and cell type may contribute to functional connectivity within a small region, and regional alterations in micro-level homogeneity most likely contribute to regional functional connectivity alterations (Jiang et al, 2015). Regional homogeneity (ReHo) is a highly reproducible and reliable index of regional functional connectivity (Jiang & Zuo, 2016), which has been considered to reflect anatomical, morphological, and intrinsically geometric features in a local brain structure as well as a topology-functionality interplay (Wei et al, 2020). Accumulating evidence implicates ReHo alterations in the pathophysiology of MPDs (Ji et al, 2020; Jiang et al, 2015; Zuo et al, 2013).…”