Tobias Bracht1, Derek K Jones2, Thomas J Müller3, Roland Wiest4, Sebastian Walther3. 1. Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: brachtt@cardiff.ac.uk. 2. Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom. 3. University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. 4. Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: White matter microstructure alterations of limbic and reward pathways have been reported repeatedly for depressive episodes in major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). However, findings during remission are equivocal. It was the aim of this study to investigate if white matter microstructure changes during the time course of clinical remission. METHODS: Fifteen depressed patients (11 MDD, 4 BD) underwent diffusion-weighted MRI both during depression, and during remission following successful antidepressive treatment (average time interval between scans = 6 months). Fractional anisotropy (FA) was sampled along reconstructions of the supero-lateral medial forebrain bundle (slMFB), the cingulum bundle (CB), the uncinate fasciculus (UF), the parahippocampal cingulum (PHC) and the fornix. Repeated measures ANCOVAs controlling for the effect of age were calculated for each tract. RESULTS: There was a significant main effect of time (inter-scan interval) for mean-FA for the right CB and for the left PHC. For both pathways there was a significant time × age interaction. In the right CB, FA increased in younger patients, while FA decreased in older patients. In the left PHC, a reverse pattern was seen. FA changes in the right CB correlated positively with symptom reductions. Mean-FA of UF, slMFB and fornix did not change between the two time points. LIMITATIONS: All patients were medicated, sample size, and lack of control group. CONCLUSIONS: Right CB and left PHC undergo age-dependent plastic changes during the course of remission and may serve as a state marker in depression. UF, slMFB and FO microstructure remains stable.
BACKGROUND: White matter microstructure alterations of limbic and reward pathways have been reported repeatedly for depressive episodes in major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). However, findings during remission are equivocal. It was the aim of this study to investigate if white matter microstructure changes during the time course of clinical remission. METHODS: Fifteen depressedpatients (11 MDD, 4 BD) underwent diffusion-weighted MRI both during depression, and during remission following successful antidepressive treatment (average time interval between scans = 6 months). Fractional anisotropy (FA) was sampled along reconstructions of the supero-lateral medial forebrain bundle (slMFB), the cingulum bundle (CB), the uncinate fasciculus (UF), the parahippocampal cingulum (PHC) and the fornix. Repeated measures ANCOVAs controlling for the effect of age were calculated for each tract. RESULTS: There was a significant main effect of time (inter-scan interval) for mean-FA for the right CB and for the left PHC. For both pathways there was a significant time × age interaction. In the right CB, FA increased in younger patients, while FA decreased in older patients. In the left PHC, a reverse pattern was seen. FA changes in the right CB correlated positively with symptom reductions. Mean-FA of UF, slMFB and fornix did not change between the two time points. LIMITATIONS: All patients were medicated, sample size, and lack of control group. CONCLUSIONS: Right CB and left PHC undergo age-dependent plastic changes during the course of remission and may serve as a state marker in depression. UF, slMFB and FO microstructure remains stable.
Authors: Chiara Caldinelli; Sean Froudist-Walsh; Vyacheslav Karolis; Chieh-En Tseng; Matthew P Allin; Muriel Walshe; Marion Cuddy; Robin M Murray; Chiara Nosarti Journal: Neuroimage Date: 2017-02-12 Impact factor: 6.556
Authors: Volker Arnd Coenen; Lena Valerie Schumacher; Christoph Kaller; Thomas Eduard Schlaepfer; Peter Christoph Reinacher; Karl Egger; Horst Urbach; Marco Reisert Journal: Neuroimage Clin Date: 2018-03-18 Impact factor: 4.881
Authors: Tobias Bracht; Sarah Steinau; Andrea Federspiel; Christoph Schneider; Roland Wiest; Sebastian Walther Journal: Neuroimage Clin Date: 2018-10-01 Impact factor: 4.881