Systemic inflammation and resting state connectivity of the default mode network
Anna L Marsland1, Dora C-H Kuan1, Lei K Sheu1
1Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States.
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
|January 28, 2017
Summary
Systemic inflammation marker, interleukin-6 (IL-6), is linked to altered resting-state functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN), specifically within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). This suggests a connection between immune function and brain networks involved in cognition and emotion.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Immunology
Background:
- The default mode network (DMN) is crucial for social, cognitive, and affective functions, and its dysfunction is linked to dementia and psychiatric disorders.
- The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) within the DMN are involved in regulating autonomic and neuroendocrine processes related to systemic inflammation.
- The direct relationship between inflammation indicators and DMN resting-state activity remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), a marker of systemic inflammation, and resting-state functional connectivity within the DMN.
- To determine if IL-6 levels correlate with the coherence of neural activity in specific DMN regions, including the ACC and mPFC.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to generate DMN connectivity maps in 98 adults (aged 30-54).
- Independent component analyses were applied to the fMRI data.
- Voxel-wise regression analyses examined the relationship between plasma IL-6 levels and DMN connectivity, controlling for covariates like age, sex, BMI, and motion.
Main Results:
- Plasma IL-6 showed a positive correlation with functional connectivity in the sub-genual ACC within the DMN.
- A negative correlation was observed between IL-6 levels and connectivity in a dorsal medial PFC region of the DMN.
- These associations remained significant after statistical correction.
Conclusions:
- The study provides novel evidence linking systemic inflammation, indicated by IL-6, to altered functional connectivity in key DMN regions (ACC and mPFC).
- These findings highlight a potential mechanism through which immune system activity influences brain networks critical for psychological and behavioral states.
- The DMN may serve as an important interface between immune function and brain processes in both health and disease.
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