Functional Connectivity of Brain Structures Correlates with Treatment Outcome in Major Depressive Disorder
Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: Identifying biosignatures to assess the probability of response to an antidepressant for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) is critically needed. Functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) offers the promise to provide such a measure. Previous work with fcMRI demonstrated that the correlation in signal from one region to another is a measure of functional connectivity. In this pilot work, a baseline non-task fcMRI was acquired in 14 adults with MDD who were free of all medications. Participants were then treated for 8 weeks with an antidepressant and then clinically re-evaluated. Probabilistic anatomic regions of interest (ROI) were defined for 16 brain regions (eight for each hemisphere) previously identified as being important in mood disorders. These ROIs were used to determine mean time courses for each individual's baseline non-task fcMRI. The correlations in time courses between 16 brain regions were calculated. These calculated correlations were considered to signify measures of functional connectivity. The degree of connectivity for each participant was correlated with treatment outcome. Among 13 participants with 8 weeks follow-up data, connectivity measures in several regions, especially the subcallosal cortex, were highly correlated with treatment outcome. These connectivity measures could provide a means to evaluate how likely a patient is to respond to an antidepressant treatment. Further work using larger samples is required to confirm these findings and to assess if measures of functional connectivity can be used to predict differential outcomes between antidepressant treatments.
Source: Frontiers in Psychiatry
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
Funders: Stanley Medical Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Center for Research Resources, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Awards: Risk for Substance Abuse in Depressed Adolescents, Meharry RCMI Program in Women's Health Research, Treatment Prediction in Adolescent and Adult Depression, Stress Response and Smoking Cessation in Depressed Youth, Meharry Clinical and Translational Research Center (MeTRC), Meharry Clinical and Translational Research Center (MeTRC), G3607537544, Stress and Risk for Substance Abuse in Adolescents, North and Central Texas Clinical and Translational Science Initiative (UL1), Investigating Neurocircuitry of Geriatric Depression, Normalized functional MRI in human brain disorders, Modulation of brain activity by control of the inspired air, Markers of Risk for Nicotine Dependence in Youngsters, Neuronal Risk Markers for Nicotine Dependence in Youth
OpenAlex ID: W2153012113