Maria Seidel1, Viola Borchardt2, Daniel Geisler1, Joseph A King1, Ilka Boehm1, Sophie Pauligk1, Fabio Bernardoni1, Ronald Biemann3, Veit Roessner4, Martin Walter5, Stefan Ehrlich6. 1. Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany. 2. Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, Magdeburg, Germany, and the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany. 3. Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany. 4. Translational Developmental Neuroscience Section, Eating Disorder Research and Treatment Center, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany. 5. Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, Magdeburg, Germany, and the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany; Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Eberhard-Karls University, Tuebingen, Germany. 6. Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Translational Developmental Neuroscience Section, Eating Disorder Research and Treatment Center, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany. Electronic address: transden.lab@uniklinikum-dresden.de.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have repeatedly shown alterations in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). These alterations might be driven by baseline signal characteristics such as the (fractional) amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF/ALFF), as well as regional signal consistency (ie, regional homogeneity [ReHo]) within circumscribed brain regions. Previous studies have also demonstrated gray matter (pseudo-) atrophy in underweight individuals with AN. Here we study fALFF/ALFF and ReHo in predominantly adolescent patients with AN, while taking gray matter changes into consideration. METHOD: Resting state fMRI data were acquired from a sample of 148 female volunteers: 74 underweight patients with AN and 74 age-matched female healthy controls (HC). RESULTS: Group differences for fALFF and ReHo measures were found in several AN-relevant brain regions, including networks related to cognitive control, habit formation, and the ventral visual stream. Furthermore, the magnitude of correlation between gray matter volume/thickness and fALFF and ReHo were reduced in AN compared to HC. CONCLUSION: Abnormal local resting state characteristics in AN-related brain-networks as well as reduced structure-function relationships may help to explain previously reported task-related and classical resting state neural alterations in underweight AN. Patients with AN may serve as a valuable population for investigating dynamic changes in the relationships between brain structure and function.
OBJECTIVE: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have repeatedly shown alterations in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). These alterations might be driven by baseline signal characteristics such as the (fractional) amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF/ALFF), as well as regional signal consistency (ie, regional homogeneity [ReHo]) within circumscribed brain regions. Previous studies have also demonstrated gray matter (pseudo-) atrophy in underweight individuals with AN. Here we study fALFF/ALFF and ReHo in predominantly adolescent patients with AN, while taking gray matter changes into consideration. METHOD: Resting state fMRI data were acquired from a sample of 148 female volunteers: 74 underweight patients with AN and 74 age-matched female healthy controls (HC). RESULTS: Group differences for fALFF and ReHo measures were found in several AN-relevant brain regions, including networks related to cognitive control, habit formation, and the ventral visual stream. Furthermore, the magnitude of correlation between gray matter volume/thickness and fALFF and ReHo were reduced in AN compared to HC. CONCLUSION: Abnormal local resting state characteristics in AN-related brain-networks as well as reduced structure-function relationships may help to explain previously reported task-related and classical resting state neural alterations in underweight AN. Patients with AN may serve as a valuable population for investigating dynamic changes in the relationships between brain structure and function.
Authors: Maria Seidel; Daniel Geisler; Viola Borchardt; Joseph A King; Fabio Bernardoni; Charlotte Jaite; Veit Roessner; Vince Calhoun; Martin Walter; Stefan Ehrlich Journal: Transl Psychiatry Date: 2020-11-11 Impact factor: 6.222