Dissociated large-scale functional connectivity networks of the precuneus in medication-naïve first-episode depression

Daihui Peng; Elizabeth B Liddle; Sarina J Iwabuchi; Chen Zhang; Zhiguo Wu; Jun Liu; Kaida Jiang; Lin Xu; Peter F Liddle; Lena Palaniyappan; Yiru Fang

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.03.003

Dissociated large-scale functional connectivity networks of the precuneus in medication-naïve first-episode depression

Psychiatry Res. 2015 Jun 30;232(3):250-6. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.03.003. Epub 2015 Mar 20.

Authors

Daihui Peng¹, Elizabeth B Liddle², Sarina J Iwabuchi², Chen Zhang³, Zhiguo Wu¹, Jun Liu⁴, Kaida Jiang⁴, Lin Xu⁵, Peter F Liddle², Lena Palaniyappan⁶, Yiru Fang⁷

Affiliations

¹ Division of Mood Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
² Division of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2TU, UK; Center for Translational Neuroimaging, Institute of Mental Health, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2TU, UK.
³ Division of Mood Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming 650223, China.
⁴ Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming 650223, China.
⁶ Division of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2TU, UK; Center for Translational Neuroimaging, Institute of Mental Health, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Nottingham NG7 2TU, UK. Electronic address: Lena.Palaniyappan@nottingham.ac.uk.
⁷ Division of Mood Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China. Electronic address: yirufang@gmail.com.

PMID: 25957017
DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.03.003

Abstract

An imbalance in neural activity within large-scale networks appears to be an important pathophysiological aspect of depression. Yet, there is little consensus regarding the abnormality within the default mode network (DMN) in major depressive disorder (MDD). In the present study, 16 first-episode, medication-naïve patients with MDD and 16 matched healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at rest. With the precuneus (a central node of the DMN) as a seed region, functional connectivity (FC) was measured across the entire brain. The association between the FC of the precuneus and overall symptom severity was assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Patients with MDD exhibited a more negative relationship between the precuneus and the non-DMN regions, including the sensory processing regions (fusiform gyrus, postcentral gyrus) and the secondary motor cortex (supplementary motor area and precentral gyrus). Moreover, greater severity of depression was associated with greater anti-correlation between the precuneus and the temporo-parietal junction as well as stronger positive connectivity between the precuneus and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. These results indicate that dissociated large-scale networks of the precuneus may contribute to the clinical expression of depression in MDD.

Keywords: Depression; Functional connectivity network; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Precuneus; Resting state.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Brain / physiopathology*
Depressive Disorder, Major / diagnosis
Depressive Disorder, Major / physiopathology*
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
Male
Nerve Net / physiopathology*
Parietal Lobe / physiopathology*
Severity of Illness Index

Grants and funding

WT096002/z/11/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom