Leah M J Hall1, Bonnie Klimes-Dougan2, Ruskin H Hunt3, Kathleen M Thomas3, Alaa Houri4, Emily Noack2, Bryon A Mueller4, Kelvin O Lim5, Kathryn R Cullen4. 1. Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, United States. Electronic address: japp0005@umn.edu. 2. Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, United States. 3. Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, United States. 4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, United States. 5. Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, United States; Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, United States.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) often begins during adolescence when the brain is still maturing. To better understand the neurobiological underpinnings of MDD early in development, this study examined brain function in response to emotional faces in adolescents with MDD and healthy (HC) adolescents using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHOD: Thirty-two unmedicated adolescents with MDD and 23 healthy age- and gender-matched controls completed an fMRI task viewing happy and fearful faces. Fronto-limbic regions of interest (ROI; bilateral amygdala, insula, subgenual and rostral anterior cingulate cortices) and whole-brain analyses were conducted to examine between-group differences in brain function. RESULTS: ROI analyses revealed that patients had greater bilateral amygdala activity than HC in response to viewing fearful versus happy faces, which remained significant when controlling for comorbid anxiety. Whole-brain analyses revealed that adolescents with MDD had lower activation compared to HC in a right hemisphere cluster comprised of the insula, superior/middle temporal gyrus, and Heschl׳s gyrus when viewing fearful faces. Brain activity in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex was inversely correlated with depression severity. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include a cross-sectional design with a modest sample size and use of a limited range of emotional stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: Results replicate previous studies that suggest emotion processing in adolescent MDD is associated with abnormalities within fronto-limbic brain regions. Findings implicate elevated amygdalar arousal to negative stimuli in adolescents with depression and provide new evidence for a deficit in functioning of the saliency network, which may be a future target for early intervention and MDD treatment.
BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) often begins during adolescence when the brain is still maturing. To better understand the neurobiological underpinnings of MDD early in development, this study examined brain function in response to emotional faces in adolescents with MDD and healthy (HC) adolescents using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHOD: Thirty-two unmedicated adolescents with MDD and 23 healthy age- and gender-matched controls completed an fMRI task viewing happy and fearful faces. Fronto-limbic regions of interest (ROI; bilateral amygdala, insula, subgenual and rostral anterior cingulate cortices) and whole-brain analyses were conducted to examine between-group differences in brain function. RESULTS: ROI analyses revealed that patients had greater bilateral amygdala activity than HC in response to viewing fearful versus happy faces, which remained significant when controlling for comorbid anxiety. Whole-brain analyses revealed that adolescents with MDD had lower activation compared to HC in a right hemisphere cluster comprised of the insula, superior/middle temporal gyrus, and Heschl׳s gyrus when viewing fearful faces. Brain activity in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex was inversely correlated with depression severity. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include a cross-sectional design with a modest sample size and use of a limited range of emotional stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: Results replicate previous studies that suggest emotion processing in adolescent MDD is associated with abnormalities within fronto-limbic brain regions. Findings implicate elevated amygdalar arousal to negative stimuli in adolescents with depression and provide new evidence for a deficit in functioning of the saliency network, which may be a future target for early intervention and MDD treatment.
Authors: K M Thomas; W C Drevets; R E Dahl; N D Ryan; B Birmaher; C H Eccard; D Axelson; P J Whalen; B J Casey Journal: Arch Gen Psychiatry Date: 2001-11
Authors: D A Brent; D J Kolko; B Birmaher; M Baugher; J Bridge; C Roth; D Holder Journal: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry Date: 1998-09 Impact factor: 8.829
Authors: H S Mayberg; S K Brannan; J L Tekell; J A Silva; R K Mahurin; S McGinnis; P A Jerabek Journal: Biol Psychiatry Date: 2000-10-15 Impact factor: 13.382
Authors: Christopher S Monk; Rachel G Klein; Eva H Telzer; Elizabeth A Schroth; Salvatore Mannuzza; John L Moulton; Mary Guardino; Carrie L Masten; Erin B McClure-Tone; Stephen Fromm; R James Blair; Daniel S Pine; Monique Ernst Journal: Am J Psychiatry Date: 2007-11-06 Impact factor: 18.112
Authors: Ronald J Steingard; Perry F Renshaw; John Hennen; Mara Lenox; Christina Bonella Cintron; Ashley D Young; Daniel F Connor; Trang H Au; Deborah A Yurgelun-Todd Journal: Biol Psychiatry Date: 2002-09-01 Impact factor: 13.382
Authors: Kathryn R Cullen; Dylan G Gee; Bonnie Klimes-Dougan; Vilma Gabbay; Leslie Hulvershorn; Bryon A Mueller; Jazmin Camchong; Christopher J Bell; Alaa Houri; Sanjiv Kumra; Kelvin O Lim; F Xavier Castellanos; Michael P Milham Journal: Neurosci Lett Date: 2009-05-14 Impact factor: 3.046
Authors: Ronald C Kessler; Patricia Berglund; Olga Demler; Robert Jin; Doreen Koretz; Kathleen R Merikangas; A John Rush; Ellen E Walters; Philip S Wang Journal: JAMA Date: 2003-06-18 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: Julian Koenig; Melinda Westlund Schreiner; Bonnie Klimes-Dougan; Benjamin Ubani; Bryon A Mueller; Kelvin O Lim; Michael Kaess; Kathryn R Cullen Journal: Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging Date: 2018-08-24 Impact factor: 2.376
Authors: Michele A Bertocci; Genna Bebko; Amanda Dwojak; Satish Iyengar; Cecile D Ladouceur; Jay C Fournier; Amelia Versace; Susan B Perlman; Jorge R C Almeida; Michael J Travis; Mary Kay Gill; Lisa Bonar; Claudiu Schirda; Vaibhav A Diwadkar; Jeffrey L Sunshine; Scott K Holland; Robert A Kowatch; Boris Birmaher; David Axelson; Sarah M Horwitz; Thomas Frazier; L Eugene Arnold; Mary A Fristad; Eric A Youngstrom; Robert L Findling; Mary L Phillips Journal: Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging Date: 2017-05
Authors: Tara M Chaplin; Jennifer A Poon; James C Thompson; Amysue Hansen; Sarah L Dziura; Caitlin C Turpyn; Claire E Niehaus; Rajita Sinha; Laurie Chassin; Emily B Ansell Journal: Soc Dev Date: 2019-01-18
Authors: Rebecca Kerestes; Anna Maria Segreti; Lisa A Pan; Mary L Phillips; Boris Birmaher; David A Brent; Cecile D Ladouceur Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2015-12-21 Impact factor: 4.839
Authors: Sarah E Henderson; Ana I Vallejo; Benjamin A Ely; Guoxin Kang; Amy Krain Roy; Daniel S Pine; Emily R Stern; Vilma Gabbay Journal: Psychiatry Res Date: 2014-11-08 Impact factor: 3.222