A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study Using a Voxel-Based Analysis, Region-of-Interest Method to Analyze White Matter Abnormalities in First-Episode, Treatment-Naïve Major Depressive Disorder

AbstractCognitive deficits are central attendant symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) with a crucial impact in patients’ everyday life. Thus, it is of particular clinical importance to understand their pathophysiology. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible relationship between brain structure and cognitive performance in MDD patients in a well-characterized sample. N = 1007 participants (NMDD = 482, healthy controls (HC): NHC = 525) were selected from the FOR2107 cohort for this diffusion-tensor imaging study employing tract-based spatial statistics. We conducted a principal component analysis (PCA) to reduce neuropsychological test results, and to discover underlying factors of cognitive performance in MDD patients. We tested the association between fractional anisotropy (FA) and diagnosis (MDD vs. HC) and cognitive performance factors. The PCA yielded a single general cognitive performance factor that differed significantly between MDD patients and HC (P < 0.001). We found a significant main effect of the general cognitive performance factor in FA (Ptfce-FWE = 0.002) in a large bilateral cluster consisting of widespread frontotemporal-association fibers. In MDD patients this effect was independent of medication intake, the presence of comorbid diagnoses, the number of previous hospitalizations, and depressive symptomatology. This study provides robust evidence that white matter disturbances and cognitive performance seem to be associated. This association was independent of diagnosis, though MDD patients show more pronounced deficits and lower FA values in the global white matter fiber structure. This suggests a more general, rather than the depression-specific neurological basis for cognitive deficits.

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Structural alterations associated with suicide attempts in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder: A diffusion tensor imaging study

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109827 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 ◽

pp. 109827 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Shengnan Wei ◽

Fay Y. Womer ◽

Elliot K. Edmiston ◽

Ran Zhang ◽

Xiaowei Jiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽

Depressive Disorder ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Diffusion Tensor ◽

Imaging Study ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Structural Alterations ◽

Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

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Risperidone-induced topological alterations of anatomical brain network in first-episode drug-naive schizophrenia patients: a longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291716001380 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 46 (12) ◽

pp. 2549-2560 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

M. Hu ◽

X. Zong ◽

J. Zheng ◽

J. J. Mann ◽

Z. Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽

White Matter ◽

Negative Symptoms ◽

Diffusion Tensor ◽

Imaging Study ◽

First Episode ◽

Longitudinal Diffusion ◽

Before And After ◽

Drug Naïve ◽

Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

BackgroundIt remains unclear whether the topological deficits of the white matter network documented in cross-sectional studies of chronic schizophrenia patients are due to chronic illness or to other factors such as antipsychotic treatment effects. To answer this question, we evaluated the white matter network in medication-naive first-episode schizophrenia patients (FESP) before and after a course of treatment.MethodWe performed a longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging study in 42 drug-naive FESP at baseline and then after 8 weeks of risperidone monotherapy, and compared them with 38 healthy volunteers. Graph theory was utilized to calculate the topological characteristics of brain anatomical network. Patients’ clinical state was evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) before and after treatment.ResultsPretreatment, patients had relatively intact overall topological organizations, and deficient nodal topological properties primarily in prefrontal gyrus and limbic system components such as the bilateral anterior and posterior cingulate. Treatment with risperidone normalized topological parameters in the limbic system, and the enhancement positively correlated with the reduction in PANSS-positive symptoms. Prefrontal topological impairments persisted following treatment and negative symptoms did not improve.ConclusionsDuring the early phase of antipsychotic medication treatment there are region-specific alterations in white matter topological measures. Limbic white matter topological dysfunction improves with positive symptom reduction. Prefrontal deficits and negative symptoms are unresponsive to medication intervention, and prefrontal deficits are potential trait biomarkers and targets for negative symptom treatment development.

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