Biological vulnerability to depression: Linked structural and functional brain network findings

Worwood, G.; Nixon, E.; Palaniyappan, L.; Nixon, N. L.; Liddle, P. F.; Nixon, Neil L.; Liddle, Peter; Nixon, Elena; Worwood, Graham; Liotti, M.; Palaniyappan, Lena

Abstract

Background: Patients in recovery following episodes of major depressive disorder (MDD) remain highly vulnerable to future recurrence. Although psychological determinants of this risk are well established, little is known about associated biological mechanisms. Recent work has implicated the default mode network (DMN) in this vulnerability but specific hypotheses remain untested within the high risk, recovered state of MDD. Aims: To test the hypothesis that there is excessive DMN functional connectivity during task performance within recovered-state MDD and to test for connected DMN cortical gyrification abnormalities. Method: A multimodal structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, including task-based functional connectivity and cortical folding analysis, comparing 20 recoveredstate patients with MDD with 20 matched healthy controls. Results: The MDD group showed significant task-based DMN hyperconnectivity, associated with hypogyrification of key DMN regions (bilateral precuneus). Conclusions: This is the first evidence of connected structural and functional DMN abnormalities in recovered-state MDD, supporting recent hypotheses on biological-level vulnerability.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 25, 2013
• Online Publication Date: Jan 2, 2018
• Publication Date: 2014-04
• Deposit Date: May 30, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 4, 2020
• Journal: British Journal of Psychiatry
• Print ISSN: 0007-1250
• Electronic ISSN: 1472-1465
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 204
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 283-289
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.113.129965
• Keywords: Psychiatry and Mental health
• Public URL: http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/early/2013/12/05/bjp.bp.113.129965.long
• Publisher URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/biological-vulnerability-to-depression-linked-structural-and-functional-brain-network-findings/1BACC8839BFDA84B341230DE54A5B690