Orbital and Medial Prefrontal Cortex Functional Connectivity of Major Depression Vulnerability and Disease

Abstract

Background Pathophysiology models of major depression (MD) center on the dysfunction of various cortical areas within the orbital and medial prefrontal cortex (OMPFC). While independent structural and functional abnormalities in these areas are consistent findings in MD, the complex interactions among them and the rest of the cortex remain largely unexplored. Methods We used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) connectivity to systematically map alterations in the communication between OMPFC fields and the rest of the brain in MD. Functional connectivity (FC) maps from participants with current MD (N=35), unaffected first-degree relatives (N=36) and healthy controls (N=38) were subjected to conjunction analyses to distinguish FC markers of MD vulnerability and FC markers of MD disease). Results FC abnormalities in MD vulnerability were found for dorsal medial wall regions and the anterior insula and concerned altered communication of these areas with the inferior parietal cortex and dorsal posterior cingulate, occipital areas and the brainstem. FC aberrations in current MD included the anterior insula, rostral and dorsal anterior cingulate and lateral orbitofrontal areas and concerned altered communication with the dorsal striatum, the cerebellum, the precuneus, the anterior PFC, somato-motor cortex, dorsolateral PFC, and visual areas in the occipital and inferior temporal lobes. Conclusions Functionally delineated parcellation maps can be used to identify putative connectivity markers in extended cortical regions such as the OMPFC. The anterior insula and the rostral anterior cingulate play a central role in the pathophysiology of MD, being consistently implicated both in the MD vulnerability and MD disease states.

Childhood trauma history is linked to abnormal brain connectivity in major depression

“…SMN connectivity with the DAN and VIS connectivity with the CON were especially indicative of emotional abuse/neglect and physical abuse/neglect, respectively. These systems have been related to treatment outcomes in affective disorders, risk, and family history of depression (34), and to functional domains, including error monitoring and top-down attentional control (35). We speculate that physical abuse/neglect and emotional abuse/neglect may have induced abnormal activation of sensory systems, such as the sensorimotor and visual cortex, and to have dysregulated connectivity with ventral and dorsal attention systems.…”

Effects of stress on behavior and resting-state fMRI in rats and evaluation of Telmisartan therapy in a stress-induced depression model

“…Hence, the result of decreased ReHo within motor cortex in the present study may be a neuroimaging reflection of anxiety. Although several studies have demonstrated abnormal cerebral connectivity involving the visual cortex and midbrain in depression [ 49 , 50 ], rare clinical studies reported altered ReHo in the two regions. Since the pathological alterations of the visual cortex and midbrain exist in depression [ 51 – 53 ], there may be also differences between the rat model and patients with depression in the visual cortex and midbrain Reho signal.…”

Predicting Response to Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Asthma by a Small Number of Abnormal Resting-State Functional Connections

“…Specifically, distinct sub-regions of the cerebellum are selectively involved in different primary emotions, including positive and negative emotions ( Adamaszek et al, 2017 ). In addition, as a cortical hub, the insula carries the information of dyspnea and emotions ( Borsook et al, 2016 ), and FC between the cerebellum and insula could play an important role in depression in asthmatic patients ( Zhong et al, 2017 ; Samara et al, 2018 ). Specifically, in our study, this FC pattern was reversed by GCBT and positively correlated with depressive severity in patients who received treatment.…”