Journal Article

Resting-State Functional Connectivity Bias of Middle Temporal Gyrus and Caudate with Altered Gray Matter Volume in Major Depression

Li, Jun, Guo, Wenbin, Gao, Qing, Liu, Feng, Ma, Chaoqiong, Long, Zhiliang, Chen, Huafu, Zeng, Ling, Zhao, Jingping, Ding, Jurong

2012

Overview

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have indicated that the structure deficits and resting-state functional connectivity (FC) imbalances in cortico-limbic circuitry might underline the pathophysiology of MDD. Using structure and functional MRI, our aim is to investigate gray matter abnormalities in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and treatment-responsive depression (TSD), and test whether the altered gray matter is associated with altered FC. Voxel-based morphometry was used to investigate the regions with gray matter abnormality and FC analysis was further conducted between each gray matter abnormal region and the remaining voxels in the brain. Using one-way analysis of variance, we found significant gray matter abnormalities in the right middle temporal cortex (MTG) and bilateral caudate among the TRD, TSD and healthy controls. For the FC of the right MTG, we found that both the patients with TRD and TSD showed altered connectivity mainly in the default-mode network (DMN). For the FC of the right caudate, both patient groups showed altered connectivity in the frontal regions. Our results revealed the gray matter reduction of right MTG and bilateral caudate, and disrupted functional connection to widely distributed circuitry in DMN and frontal regions, respectively. These results suggest that the abnormal DMN and reward circuit activity might be biomarkers of depression trait.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Abnormalities / Adult / Analysis of Variance / Biology / Biomarkers / Brain / Brain Mapping / Care and treatment / Caudate Nucleus - pathology / Caudate Nucleus - physiopathology / Cerebral cortex / Circuits / Cortex (frontal) / Cortex (temporal) / Depression, Mental / Depressive Disorder, Major - diagnosis / Depressive Disorder, Major - pathology / Depressive Disorder, Major - physiopathology / Diagnosis / Education / Female / Functional magnetic resonance imaging / Hospitals / Humans / Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Laboratories / Life sciences / Limbic System - pathology / Limbic System - physiopathology / Magnetic resonance / Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Male / Measurement techniques / Medical imaging / Medicine / Mental depression / Mental health / Morphometry / Neural networks / Neural Pathways - pathology / Neural Pathways - physiopathology / Neuroimaging / NMR / Nuclear magnetic resonance / Patients / Periaqueductal Gray - pathology / Periaqueductal Gray - physiopathology / Physiological aspects / Psychiatry / Reinforcement / Studies / Substantia grisea / Temporal gyrus / Temporal lobe / Temporal Lobe - pathology / Temporal Lobe - physiopathology / Tomography / Treatment Outcome / Variance analysis