Alterations in functional brain networks in depressed patients with a suicide attempt history

Jung, JeYoung; Choi, Sunyoung; Han, Kyu-Man; Kim, Aram; Kang, Wooyoung; Paik, Jong-Woo; Lee, Hae-Woo; Ham, Byung-Joo

Abstract

Suicide is a major challenge in public health and is strongly associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). Despite recent neuroimaging developments, the neural correlates of suicide behavior in patients with MDD remain unclear. Independent component analysis (ICA) for neuroimaging data allows the identification of functional brain networks without prior regions of interest and may help to identify neurobiological markers of specific disorders. Using ICA, we investigated the differences in resting-state brain networks in patients with MDD who had or did not have a history of suicide attempts and in healthy controls (HCs). Suicidal depressed (SD) patients, non-suicidal depressed (NSD) patients, and HCs significantly differed from each other in the pattern of connectivity of multiple functional networks, network synchronization, and functional network connectivity (FNC). The patient groups had a decreased network synchronization in the insular, cerebellum, basal ganglia, thalamus, operculum, frontoparietal cortices, and sensory cortices relative to the HCs. The decreased FNC between these networks (insular–default mode network and insular–cerebellum) was found in the SD group compared to the NSD and HC groups. These differences were not related to illness duration and medication status differences between SD and NSD. Furthermore, the degree of FNC in these networks was associated with the suicide ideation and stress level. Our results demonstrated that widespread but discrete network changes in brain networks and their interconnectivity was associated with suicide attempts in patients with MDD. Our results suggest that the neural basis underlying the psychopathology of attempted suicide in patients with MDD involves multiple brain networks and their interaction.

Citation

Jung, J., Choi, S., Han, K.-M., Kim, A., Kang, W., Paik, J.-W., …Ham, B.-J. (2020). Alterations in functional brain networks in depressed patients with a suicide attempt history. Neuropsychopharmacology, 45, 964–974. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-019-0560-z

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 8, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Oct 31, 2019
• Publication Date: May 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: May 22, 2020
• Journal: Neuropsychopharmacology
• Print ISSN: 0893-133X
• Electronic ISSN: 1740-634X
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 45
• Pages: 964–974
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-019-0560-z
• Keywords: Pharmacology; Psychiatry and Mental health
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3870004
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-019-0560-z
• Additional Information: Received: 23 May 2019; Revised: 19 September 2019; Accepted: 8 October 2019; First Online: 31 October 2019