Aberrant brain connectivity is associated with childhood maltreatment in individuals with major depressive disorder
Qianyi Luo1, Juran Chen1, Yuhong Li1
1Department of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.36, Mingxin Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou, 510370, China.
Insights
Childhood maltreatment is linked to major depressive disorder (MDD) through altered brain network connectivity. This study reveals specific patterns of decreased and increased connectivity in MDD patients with maltreatment history, highlighting neurobiological underpinnings.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Childhood maltreatment is a significant risk factor for major depressive disorder (MDD).
- The neurobiological mechanisms connecting childhood maltreatment and MDD are not well understood.
- Resting-state functional connectivity analysis offers insights into brain network alterations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify specific resting-state brain networks associated with childhood maltreatment in patients with major depressive disorder.
- To investigate the relationship between the severity of childhood maltreatment and brain network connectivity.
- To elucidate the neurobiological underpinnings of MDD in individuals with a history of childhood adversity.
Main Methods:
- Recruited three groups: MDD patients with childhood maltreatment (n=31), MDD patients without (n=30), and healthy controls (n=80).
- Utilized independent component analysis (ICA) to assess inter- and intra-network functional connectivity.
- Analyzed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data.
Main Results:
- MDD patients with childhood maltreatment showed decreased intra-network connectivity in the left frontoparietal network and increased connectivity in the right frontoparietal network compared to controls.
- Significant alterations in inter-network connectivity were observed, including decreased connectivity between the posterior default mode network and other networks (auditory, limbic, anterior default mode) and visual/sensorimotor networks.
- Increased inter-network connectivity was found between the sensorimotor and ventral attention networks, and between the dorsal and ventral attention networks.
- Severity of childhood maltreatment correlated with intra-network connectivity in the frontoparietal network.
Conclusions:
- Childhood maltreatment is associated with aberrant brain network architecture in major depressive disorder.
- Specific patterns of altered functional connectivity in frontoparietal, default mode, and attention networks characterize MDD patients with a history of maltreatment.
- These findings contribute to understanding the neurobiological basis of major depressive disorder in the context of early life adversity.
Abstract:
Although childhood maltreatment confers a high risk for the development of major depressive disorder, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this connection remain unknown. The present study sought to identify the specific resting-state networks associated with childhood maltreatment. We recruited major depressive disorder patients with and without a history of childhood maltreatment (n = 31 and n = 30, respectively) and healthy subjects (n = 80). We used independent component analysis to compute inter- and intra- network connectivity. We found that individuals with major depressive disorder and childhood maltreatment could be characterized by the following network disconnectivity model relative to healthy subjects: (i) decreased intra-network connectivity in the left frontoparietal network and increased intra-network connectivity in the right frontoparietal network, (ii) decreased inter-network connectivity in the posterior default mode network-auditory network, posterior default mode network-limbic system, posterior default mode network-anterior default mode network, auditory network-medial visual network, lateral visual network - medial visual network, medial visual network-sensorimotor network, medial visual network - anterior default mode network, occipital pole visual network-dorsal attention network, and posterior default mode network-anterior default mode network, and (iii) increased inter-network connectivity in the sensorimotor network-ventral attention network, and dorsal attention network-ventral attention network. Moreover, we found significant correlations between the severity of childhood maltreatment and the intra-network connectivity of the frontoparietal network. Our study demonstrated that childhood maltreatment is integrally associated with aberrant network architecture in patients with major depressive disorder.
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