The Gender-specific Brain Functional Activation Patterns in Bipolar Depression with Anhedonia
Poster No:
576
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Xiaoqin Wang1, Yi Xia1, Rui Yan1, Hao Sun1, Yinghong Huang1, Qing Lu2, Zhijian Yao1
Institutions:
1The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 2Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Introduction:
As a cross-diagnostic symptom, anhedonia is found in depression states of major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, as well as other disorders. More than half of patients with bipolar depression (BD) suffer from anhedonia. The application of neuroimaging techniques in psychiatric disorders helps us understand the neural mechanism of anhedonia symptoms in BD patients. Although the conclusion is not entirely consistent, the dysfunction of the reward-related regions in BD has been widely described. However, past studies about anhedonia symptoms in BD ignored the unique role of gender on the reward-related regions. Past preclincal evidence points to an important role for gender in reward-related regions. In this study, the role of sex differences in the reward circuit was considered when investigating the brain's functional characteristics in bipolar disorder with anhedonia symptoms. We aim to explore the sex differences in regional brain neuroimaging activity features in BD patients with high anhedonia symptoms. We proposed that neural functional characteristics in patients with BD and anhedonia symptoms may be sexually dimorphic.
Methods:
The resting-fMRI by applying fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) method was estimated in 263 patients with BD (174 high anhedonia [HA], 89 low anhedonia [LA]) and 213 healthy controls (HC). To parse out the effects of sex and anhedonia to patients with BD, we entered all of the voxel-based comparisons of the whole brain into a 3 (HA, LA, HC) × 2 (male, female) analysis of variance (ANOVA) model in the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM12) software
Results:
Regarding the group effect (HA, LA, HC), the fALFF values were significantly difference in the right superior temporal pole, left inferior occipital gyrus, right STG, right SFG pars orbital, right precuneus, left angular, right middle cingulum gyrus (MCG), left supplementary motor area (SMA), left middle frontal gyrus (MFG). A simple post-hoc analysis shows that the fALFF values of right MCG and left SMA (p < 0.001, FDR corrected) were significantly higher in the HA group than in LA.
In terms of the sex effect (male, female), the fALFF values were significantly difference in the left insula, right rolandic operculum, right right superior temporal gyrus (STG), left calcarine, left medial superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and right SMA.
For the sex-by-group interaction, there were significant differences in the fALFF values among the six groups in the right hippocampus, left medial occipital gyrus, right insula and bilateral MCG. A simple post-hoc analysis shows that the fALFF values of all these regions were significantly higher in the HA group than LA in males (p < 0.001, FDR corrected). The fALFF values of the right hippocampus (p < 0.001, FDR corrected) were significantly lower in the HA group than LA in females.
In terms of the sex effect (male, female), the fALFF values were significantly difference in the left insula, right rolandic operculum, right right superior temporal gyrus (STG), left calcarine, left medial superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and right SMA.
For the sex-by-group interaction, there were significant differences in the fALFF values among the six groups in the right hippocampus, left medial occipital gyrus, right insula and bilateral MCG. A simple post-hoc analysis shows that the fALFF values of all these regions were significantly higher in the HA group than LA in males (p < 0.001, FDR corrected). The fALFF values of the right hippocampus (p < 0.001, FDR corrected) were significantly lower in the HA group than LA in females.
·Schematic diagram of main effects of sex, group, and sex-by-group interaction on the fALFF values among the six groups
Conclusions:
These results suggested that the pattern of high activation could be a marker of anhedonia symptom in male BD, and the sex differences should be considered in future studies of BD with anhedonia symptoms.
Disorders of the Nervous System:
Psychiatric (eg. Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia) 1
Emotion, Motivation and Social Neuroscience:
Reward and Punishment
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
Activation (eg. BOLD task-fMRI)
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
BOLD fMRI 2
Keywords:
DISORDERS
FUNCTIONAL MRI
Psychiatric
Sexual Dimorphism
Other - anhedonia
1|2Indicates the priority used for review