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Identifying Changes of Brain Regional Homogeneity and Cingulo-Opercular Network Connectivity in First-Episode,
Mengxin He1,2, Liangliang Ping1,3, Zhaosong Chu1
1Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
Objective:
Adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) may not actively reveal their suicidal ideation (SI). Therefore, this study is committed to finding the alterations in the cingulo-opercular network (CON) that are closely related to SI with multi-imaging methods, thus providing neuroimaging basis for SI.
Method:
A total of 198 participants (129 MDD patients and 69 healthy controls) were recruited and evaluated with the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The healthy individuals formed the HC group, while the MDD patients were subdivided into no SI MDD (NSI, n = 32), mild SI MDD (MSI, n = 64), and severe SI MDD (SSI, n = 33) according to their MADRS item 10. We obtained MRI data of all participants and applied regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis to verify a previous finding that links CON abnormality to SI. In addition, we employed the structural covariance network (SCN) analysis to investigate the correlation between abnormal structural connectivity of CON and SI severity.
Results:
Compared to those of the HC group, MDD ReHo values and gray matter volume (GMV) were consistently found abnormal in CON. ReHo values and GMV of the right orbital inferior frontal gyrus (ORBinf.R) in the MDD group decreased with the increase of SI. Compared to the HC group, the MDD patients showed enhanced structural connectivity of three pairs of brain regions in CON [ACC.L-left superior frontal gyrus (SFG.L), SFG.L-left middle temporal gyrus (MTG.L), and the SFG.L-left post-central gyrus (PoCG.L)]. Compared with that of the NSI and MSI groups, the structural connectivity of three pairs of brain regions in CON is enhanced in the SSI groups [ORBinf.L-right ventral posterior cingulate gyrus (VPCC.R), VPCC.R-SFG.R, and SFG.R-PoCG.R].
Conclusion:
Our findings showed the distinctive ReHo, GMV, and SCN pattern of CON in MDD patients with SI; and with the severity of suicide, abnormal brain regions increased. Our finding suggested that MDD patients with different severity of SI have different neuroimaging changes.
Insights
Major depressive disorder (MDD) patients with suicidal ideation (SI) show distinct brain network changes. These cingulo-opercular network (CON) alterations, including regional homogeneity (ReHo) and structural covariance network (SCN) patterns, correlate with SI severity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Psychiatry
- Brain Networks
Background:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD) is often associated with hidden suicidal ideation (SI).
- Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of SI in MDD is crucial for effective clinical management.
- The cingulo-opercular network (CON) is implicated in cognitive control and emotional regulation, relevant to SI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alterations in the cingulo-opercular network (CON) associated with suicidal ideation (SI) in adult MDD patients.
- To identify neuroimaging markers that differentiate MDD patients with varying levels of SI.
- To provide a neuroimaging basis for understanding SI in MDD.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 198 participants (129 MDD patients, 69 healthy controls).
- Assessed SI severity using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS).
- Employed regional homogeneity (ReHo) and structural covariance network (SCN) analyses on MRI data to examine CON alterations.
Main Results:
- MDD patients exhibited abnormal ReHo and gray matter volume (GMV) in the CON compared to controls.
- Decreased ReHo and GMV in the right orbital inferior frontal gyrus correlated with increased SI severity.
- Enhanced structural connectivity was observed in specific CON pathways in MDD patients, particularly those with severe SI.
Conclusions:
- Distinct ReHo, GMV, and SCN patterns characterize the CON in MDD patients with SI.
- The extent of abnormal brain regions within the CON increases with the severity of suicidal ideation.
- Neuroimaging findings suggest that MDD patients with different SI severities exhibit unique brain alterations.
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