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Brain functional abnormalities in the amygdala subregions is associated with anxious depression
Juan Qiao1, Shiwan Tao2, Xinyi Wang3
1Department of Psychiatry, the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China; Department of Psychiatry, Xuzhou Oriental Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China.
Journal of Affective Disorders
|September 3, 2020
Summary
Anxious depression (AD) involves altered functional connectivity in the amygdala, specifically between the centromedial/laterobasal regions and the middle frontal gyrus. This may explain unique AD symptoms in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Psychiatry
- Neuroscience
Background:
- The amygdala is crucial for emotional processing, with distinct subregions involved in emotional regulation.
- Anxious depression (AD) is a common subtype of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), but its neuroimaging basis is poorly understood.
- Investigating amygdala subregion functional connectivity in AD is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare functional connectivity of amygdala subregions among patients with AD, non-anxious depression (NAD), and healthy controls (HC).
- To explore the neurobiological underpinnings of AD by examining functional connectivity patterns.
- To correlate functional connectivity with clinical symptom severity in AD patients.
Main Methods:
- Functional connectivity of three amygdala subregions (centromedial, laterobasal, superficial) was assessed using neuroimaging.
- Eighty-three AD patients, 70 NAD patients, and 62 HC were recruited and matched for age and gender.
- Correlations between amygdala subregion functional connectivity and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) factors were analyzed.
Main Results:
- AD patients exhibited decreased functional connectivity between the right centromedial/laterobasal amygdala and the right middle frontal gyrus compared to NAD patients.
- NAD patients showed reduced functional connectivity between the right precentral gyrus and the right centromedial/superficial amygdala relative to HC.
- Functional connectivity between the right centromedial amygdala and the right middle frontal gyrus negatively correlated with anxiety/somatization factors.
Conclusions:
- Altered functional connectivity between the right centromedial/laterobasal amygdala and the right middle frontal gyrus may represent a neurobiological mechanism underlying anxious depression.
- These findings suggest that specific amygdala functional connectivity patterns could explain the distinct clinical features observed in AD patients.
- This research highlights the importance of examining amygdala subregion connectivity in understanding MDD subtypes.
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