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Assessment of Long-term Depression Induction in Adult Cerebellar Slices
Published on: October 16, 2019
Structural alterations within cerebellar circuitry are associated with general liability for common mental disorders
A L Romer1,2, A R Knodt1,2, R Houts2
1Laboratory of NeuroGenetics, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Molecular Psychiatry
|April 12, 2017
Summary
The general psychopathology factor (p factor) links shared risk for mental disorders. Higher p factor scores correlate with reduced white matter integrity in the pons and altered gray matter in the occipital lobe and cerebellum.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Genetics
Background:
- Mental health research is shifting towards transdiagnostic features common across disorders.
- Recent studies identified a general liability factor for psychopathology (p factor) underlying shared risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To replicate the p factor in a student sample.
- To identify neural correlates of the p factor using structural neuroimaging.
- To understand the mechanisms linking the p factor to mental disorder risk.
Main Methods:
- Replicated the p factor using cross-sectional data from 1246 university students.
- Utilized high-resolution multimodal structural neuroimaging.
- Analyzed white matter integrity (fractional anisotropy) and gray matter volume.
Main Results:
- Higher p factor scores were associated with reduced white matter integrity in the pons.
- Reduced gray matter volume was observed in the occipital lobe and left cerebellar lobule VIIb.
- A positive correlation was found between pons white matter integrity and cerebellar gray matter volume.
Conclusions:
- Structural alterations in corticocerebellar circuitry may contribute to a general liability for mental disorders.
- The pons and cerebellum play a role in integrating, coordinating, and monitoring information relevant to psychopathology.
- Findings support the importance of the p factor in understanding shared origins of mental disorders.
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