Prefrontal Cortex Activation During Verbal Fluency Task and Tower of London Task in Schizophrenia and Major Depressive Disorder

Background: Cognitive dysfunction is a common clinical feature of mental disorders. A number of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies have shown reduced prefrontal activation during the verbal fluency task (VFT) in schizophrenia (SZ) and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, no studies have examined and compared the brain activation patterns during the Tower of London (TOL), which is another classic, high-sensitivity executive function testing tool, in these two serious mental disorders. This study aimed to assess the characteristics of brain activation during the two different cognitive tasks in SZ and MDD patients.Methods: This study recruited 30 patients with SZ, 30 patients with MDD, and 30 demographically matched healthy controls (HCs). The hemodynamic changes of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were measured using 32-channel fNIRS during performance of the TOL task and VFT task.Results: SZ patients showed poorer VFT performance than MDD patients and HCs, and the two patient groups showed poorer TOL performance than HCs. Compared to HCs, both of the patient groups exhibited a significant decreased activation in the extensive PFC. Particularly in certain channels in the dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC), SZ patients exhibited significantly decreased hemodynamic changes than the MDD patients.Conclusions: Patients with SZ and MDD have different levels of impairment in different cognitive domains and different patterns of brain activation during the two cognitive tasks. Further research is needed to determine the use of fNIRS for clinical evaluation and diagnosis.

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Prefrontal cortex alterations in major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and their comorbidity during a verbal fluency task assessed by multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy

Psychiatry Research ◽

10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114229 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 114229

Author(s):

Shuang Hu ◽

Xiao-jun Li ◽

Samuel Law ◽

Chen-yuShen ◽

Guan-Qun Yao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Generalized Anxiety ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Verbal Fluency Task ◽

Fluency Task

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Relationship between the prefrontal function and the severity of the emotional symptoms during a verbal fluency task in patients with major depressive disorder: A multi-channel NIRS study

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.pnpbp.2014.05.005 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 54 ◽

pp. 114-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Xiaomin Liu ◽

Gaoxiang Sun ◽

Xiaoqian Zhang ◽

Bo Xu ◽

Chenyu Shen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Depressive Disorder ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Emotional Symptoms ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Verbal Fluency Task ◽

Prefrontal Function ◽

Fluency Task

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Prefrontal Functional Connectivity During the Verbal Fluency Task in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.659814 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Suh-Yeon Dong ◽

JongKwan Choi ◽

Yeonsoo Park ◽

Seung Yeon Baik ◽

Minjee Jung ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Verbal Fluency Task ◽

Fluency Task

Deviations in activation patterns and functional connectivity have been observed in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) with prefrontal hemodynamics of patients compared with healthy individuals. The graph-theoretical approach provides useful network metrics for evaluating functional connectivity. The evaluation of functional connectivity during a cognitive task can be used to explain the neurocognitive mechanism underlying the cognitive impairments caused by depression. Overall, 31 patients with MDD and 43 healthy individuals completed a verbal fluency task (VFT) while wearing a head-mounted functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) devices. Hemodynamics and functional connectivity across eight prefrontal subregions in the two groups were analyzed and compared. We observed a reduction in prefrontal activation and weaker overall and interhemispheric subregion-wise correlations in the patient group compared with corresponding values in the control group. Moreover, efficiency, the network measure related to the effectiveness of information transfer, showed a significant between-group difference [t (71.64) = 3.66, corrected p < 0.001] along with a strong negative correlation with depression severity (rho = −0.30, p = 0.009). The patterns of prefrontal functional connectivity differed significantly between the patient and control groups during the VFT. Network measures can quantitatively characterize the reduction in functional connectivity caused by depression. The efficiency of the functional network may play an important role in the understanding of depressive symptoms.

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Reduced Temporal Activation During a Verbal Fluency Task is Associated with Poor Motor Speed in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

Psychiatry Investigation ◽

10.30773/pi.2020.0045 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (8) ◽

pp. 804-813

Author(s):

Tomohiko Kiriyama ◽

Rumi Tanemura ◽

Yoshihiro Nakamura ◽

Chiaki Takemoto ◽

Mariko Hashimoto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Temporal Region ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Motor Speed ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Verbal Fluency Task ◽

Fluency Task ◽

Left Temporal Region

Objective Substantial research has revealed cognitive function impairments in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the relationship between MDD cognitive function impairment and brain activity is yet to be elucidated. This study aimed to reveal this relationship using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to extensively measure frontotemporal cortex function.Methods We recruited 18 inpatients with MDD and 22 healthy controls. Regional oxygenated hemoglobin changes (oxy-Hb) were measured during a verbal fluency task and its relationship to cognitive function was assessed. Cognitive function was assessed using the Japanese version of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia.Results Compared to healthy controls, patients with MDD displayed poorer motor speed, attention and speed of information processing, and executive function. In the bilateral prefrontal and temporal surface regions, regional oxy-Hb changes were significantly lower in patients with MDD than in healthy individuals. Moreover, we observed a correlation between reduced activation in the left temporal region and poor motor speed in patients with MDD.Conclusion We suggest that reduced activation in the left temporal region in patients with MDD could be a biomarker of poor motor speed. Additionally, NIRS may be useful as a noninvasive, clinical measurement tool for assessing motor speed in these patients.

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