Interferon-α acutely impairs whole-brain functional connectivity network architecture - A preliminary study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Immunology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) is used to treat Hepatitis C but causes mood and cognitive impairments.
• These IFN-α-induced effects resemble depression, supporting the inflammation theory of depression.
• Previous research focused on regional brain activity, not whole-brain functional connectivity networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the acute effects of systemic IFN-α on whole-brain functional connectivity architecture.
• To examine the relationship between IFN-α-induced changes in brain networks and mood alterations.

Main Methods:

• Graph theoretic analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rfMRI).
• 22 Hepatitis C patients scanned at baseline and 4 hours after their first IFN-α dose.
• Whole brain network parcellated into 110 nodes; assessed graph metrics (degree, centrality, efficiency).

Main Results:

• IFN-α significantly reduced global network connectivity (node degree) and efficiency.
• No significant effect on betweenness centrality was observed.
• Local analysis revealed reduced efficiency in specific regions and decreased connectivity in a sub-network.
• Changes in global and local functional connectivity correlated with mood changes (POMS).

Conclusions:

• IFN-α rapidly alters whole-brain network structure, impairing global functional connectivity and information exchange efficiency.
• These network changes are linked to IFN-α-induced mood alterations.
• Findings support the role of global brain network alterations in behavioral responses to IFN-α.