Resting state functional connectivity subtypes predict discrete patterns of cognitive-affective functioning across levels of analysis among patients with treatment-resistant depression

et al. 2022

Front. Psychiatry

BackgroundPrevious studies found that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) was clinically effective in treating a case of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). However, the brain neural mechanisms underlying the immediate effects of taVNS treatment for TRD have not been elucidated.Materials and MethodsDifferences in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) between TRD and healthy control (HC) groups were observed. The TRD group was treated with taVNS for 30 min, and changes in ALFF in the TRD group before and after immediate treatment were observed. The ALFF brain regions altered by taVNS induction were used as regions of interest to analyze whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) changes in the TRD group.ResultsA total of 44 TRD patients and 44 HCs completed the study and were included in the data analysis. Compared with the HC group, the TRD group had increased ALFF in the left orbital area of the middle frontal gyrus. After taVNS treatment, ALFF in the left orbital area of the middle frontal gyrus and right middle frontal gyrus decreased in the TRD group, while ALFF in the right orbital area of the superior frontal gyrus increased. The FC in the left orbital area of the middle frontal gyrus with left middle frontal gyrus and the right inferior occipital gyrus was significantly increased.ConclusionTranscutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation demonstrates immediate modulation of functional activity in the emotional network, cognitive control network, and visual processing cortex, and may be a potential brain imaging biomarker for the treatment of TRD.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Immediate Modulation of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

et al. 2022

Front. Psychiatry

“…Middle temporal gyrus is involved in emotional perception, audiovisual processing, memory and social cognitive functions, and is also an important component of the default mode network (DMN) (Raichle et al, 2001;Raichle and Snyder, 2007;Xu et al, 2019;Liu M. et al, 2021). Several previous studies have shown abnormalities in the functional activity of the DMN in patients with TRD, and the DMN varies by disease stage and age (de Kwaasteniet et al, 2015;Huang et al, 2020;Woody et al, 2021). A work showed that early-onset recurrent depression was increased ReHo in the right middle temporal gyrus than in the younger HC group, suggesting that this partially compensatory elevation of DMN may be one of the causes of abnormal brain function in early-onset recurrent depression (Sun et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative study of amplitude of low-frequence fluctuation of resting-state fMRI between the younger and older treatment-resistant depression in adults

Guo

et al. 2022

Front. Neurosci.

BackgroundTreatment-resistant depression (TRD) may have different physiopathological neuromechanism in different age groups. This study used the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) to initially compare abnormalities in local functional brain activity in younger and older patients with TRD.Materials and methodsA total of 21 older TRD patients, 19 younger TRD, 19 older healthy controls (HCs), and 19 younger HCs underwent resting-state functional MRI scans, and the images were analyzed using the ALFF and further analyzed for correlation between abnormal brain regions and clinical symptoms in TRD patients of different age groups.ResultsCompared with the older TRD, the younger TRD group had increased ALFF in the left middle frontal gyrus and decreased ALFF in the left caudate nucleus. Compared with the matched HC group, ALFF was increased in the right middle temporal gyrus and left pallidum in the older TRD group, whereas no significant differences were found in the younger TRD group. In addition, ALFF values in the left middle frontal gyrus in the younger TRD group and in the right middle temporal gyrus in the older TRD were both positively correlated with the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score.ConclusionDifferent neuropathological mechanisms may exist in TRD patients of different ages, especially in the left middle frontal gyrus and left caudate nucleus. This study is beneficial in providing potential key targets for the clinical management of TRD patients of different ages.

“…MDD has also been studied previously using a combination of several networks, including adolescent depression or TRD ( 23 , 30 – 34 ). Most studies have focused on FC abnormalities in the DMN, CCN, and AN in MDD patients ( 29 , 30 , 32 – 34 ). The functions of emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and transdiagnostic positive and negative valence systems in depressed patients are closely related to the three networks (DMN, CCN, and AN) ( 29 , 35 , 36 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Altered functional connectivity in first-episode and recurrent depression: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study

et al. 2022

Front. Neurol.

BackgroundFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies examining differences in the activity of brain networks between the first depressive episode (FDE) and recurrent depressive episode (RDE) are limited. The current study observed and compared the altered functional connectivity (FC) characteristics in the default mode network (DMN), cognitive control network (CCN), and affective network (AN) between the RDE and FDE. In addition, we further investigated the correlation between abnormal FC and clinical symptoms.MethodsWe recruited 32 patients with the RDE, 31 patients with the FDE, and 30 healthy controls (HCs). All subjects underwent resting-state fMRI. The seed-based FC method was used to analyze the abnormal brain networks in the DMN, CCN, and AN among the three groups and further explore the correlation between abnormal FC and clinical symptoms.ResultsOne-way analysis of variance showed significant differences the FC in the DMN, CCN, and AN among the three groups in the frontal, parietal, temporal, and precuneus lobes and cerebellum. Compared with the RDE group, the FDE group generally showed reduced FC in the DMN, CCN, and AN. Compared with the HC group, the FDE group showed reduced FC in the DMN, CCN, and AN, while the RDE group showed reduced FC only in the DMN and AN. Moreover, the FC in the left posterior cingulate cortices and the right inferior temporal gyrus in the RDE group were positively correlated with the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17), and the FC in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortices and the right precuneus in the FDE group were negatively correlated with the HAMD-17.ConclusionsThe RDE and FDE groups showed multiple abnormal brain networks. However, the alterations of abnormal FC were more extensive and intensive in the FDE group.