Work

Network homeostasis: functional brain network alterations and relapse in remitted late-life depression

Year: 2025

Type: article

Study design: Observational Study

Abstract: In this study, we aim to identify neurobiological factors that predict relapse risk in late-life depression (LLD). We recruited 145 older adults (age ≥ 60): 102 recently remitted LLD participants and 43 healthy comparisons. Participants underwent baseline MRI and evaluation of depression symptoms/status for up to 2 years. We evaluated intrinsic network connectivity for 111 participants (39 healthy comparisons, 47 stable remitted, 25 relapsed). LLD participants had lower connectivity primarily within and between the default mode (DMN), somatomotor, and visual networks and higher connectivity between the DMN and executive control network. Lower connectivity of DMN to somatomotor and salience networks was associated with relapse. Notably, the network structure of relapsed participants was more similar to healthy comparisons than stable remitted. These findings indicate that remission is associated with persistent functional network alterations while vulnerability to relapse may be associated with a failure to establish a new stable homeostatic functional network structure.

Source: Neuropsychopharmacology

DOI: 10.1038/s41386-025-02138-8

Authors: Andrew R. Gerlach, Helmet T. Karim, Antonija Kolobaric, Brian D. Boyd, Kevin Kahru, Robert T. Krafty, Olusola Ajilore, Warren D. Taylor, Carmen Andreescu

Institutions: University of Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Emory University, University of Illinois Chicago, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System

Language: English

Topic: Functional Brain Connectivity Studies

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, University of Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

Awards: G1182793083, G1728454281, G3102179488, G3322668466, G3512288542, G3698075647, 2/3: Recurrence markers, cognitive burden and neurobiological homeostasis in late-life depression (REMBRANDT), G4410787187, G460250106, G5580019600, 3/3-Recurrence markers, cognitive burden and neurobiological homeostasis in late-life depression, G7167022927, The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR), 1/3-Recurrence Markers, Cognitive Burden and Neurobiological Homeostasis in Late-life Depression (Rembrandt), Machine Learning Models for Identifying Neural Predictors of TMS Treatment Response in MDD, Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR), The RAW Brain - The Effect of Rumination, Anxiety and Worry on Aging and Dementia Risk, Clinical and Translational Research Training in Geriatric Mental Health, Individual Multimodal Pathway Statistics for Predicting Treatment Response in Late-life Depression

OpenAlex ID: W4410870973

FWCI: 5.663

Cites: 55

Cited by: 10

Related to: 10