Jennifer L Stewart1, Evan J White2, Rayus Kuplicki2, Elisabeth Akeman2, Jerzy Bodurka2, Yoon-Hee Cha2, Justin S Feinstein2, Sahib S Khalsa2, Jonathan B Savitz2, Teresa A Victor2, Martin P Paulus3, Robin L Aupperle3. 1. Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK, 74136, USA; Department of Community Medicine, Oxley Health Sciences, University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA. Electronic address: jstewart@laureateinstitute.org. 2. Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK, 74136, USA. 3. Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK, 74136, USA; Department of Community Medicine, Oxley Health Sciences, University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Electroencephalography (EEG) studies suggest that major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with lower left than right frontal brain activity (asymmetry), a pattern appearing stronger in women than men, and when elicited during emotionally-relevant paradigms versus an uncontrolled resting state. However, it is unclear whether this asymmetry pattern generalizes to the common presentation of MDD with co-occurring anxiety. Moreover, asymmetry may differ for anxiety subtypes, wherein anxious apprehension (AnxApp: worry characteristic of generalized anxiety disorder) appears left-lateralized, but anxious arousal (AnxAro: panic characteristic of social anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and panic disorders) may be right-lateralized. METHODS: This analysis attempted to replicate frontal EEG asymmetry patterns using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants completed clinical interviews and a monetary incentive delay (MID) task during fMRI recording. We compared five groups of right-handed women from the Tulsa 1000 study, MDD (n=40), MDD-AnxApp (n=26), MDD-AnxAro (n=34), MDD-Both (with AnxApp and AnxAro; n=26), and healthy controls (CTL; n=24), as a function of MID anticipation condition (no win/loss, win, loss) and hemisphere on frontal blood oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal. RESULTS: CTL exhibited higher bilateral superior, middle, and inferior middle frontal gyrus BOLD signal than the four MDD groups for high arousal (win and loss) conditions. However, frontal attenuations were unrelated to current depression/anxiety symptoms, suggestive of a trait as opposed to a state marker. LIMITATIONS: This was a cross-sectional analysis restricted to women. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced prefrontal cortex recruitment during processing of both positively and negatively valenced stimuli is consistent with the emotion context insensitivity theory of MDD.
BACKGROUND: Electroencephalography (EEG) studies suggest that major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with lower left than right frontal brain activity (asymmetry), a pattern appearing stronger in women than men, and when elicited during emotionally-relevant paradigms versus an uncontrolled resting state. However, it is unclear whether this asymmetry pattern generalizes to the common presentation of MDD with co-occurring anxiety. Moreover, asymmetry may differ for anxiety subtypes, wherein anxious apprehension (AnxApp: worry characteristic of generalized anxiety disorder) appears left-lateralized, but anxious arousal (AnxAro: panic characteristic of social anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and panic disorders) may be right-lateralized. METHODS: This analysis attempted to replicate frontal EEG asymmetry patterns using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants completed clinical interviews and a monetary incentive delay (MID) task during fMRI recording. We compared five groups of right-handed women from the Tulsa 1000 study, MDD (n=40), MDD-AnxApp (n=26), MDD-AnxAro (n=34), MDD-Both (with AnxApp and AnxAro; n=26), and healthy controls (CTL; n=24), as a function of MID anticipation condition (no win/loss, win, loss) and hemisphere on frontal blood oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal. RESULTS: CTL exhibited higher bilateral superior, middle, and inferior middle frontal gyrus BOLD signal than the four MDD groups for high arousal (win and loss) conditions. However, frontal attenuations were unrelated to current depression/anxiety symptoms, suggestive of a trait as opposed to a state marker. LIMITATIONS: This was a cross-sectional analysis restricted to women. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced prefrontal cortex recruitment during processing of both positively and negatively valenced stimuli is consistent with the emotion context insensitivity theory of MDD.
Authors: Andrea Cantisani; Thomas Koenig; Helge Horn; Thomas Müller; Werner Strik; Sebastian Walther Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2015-09-05 Impact factor: 4.839
Authors: Marilyne Joyal; Tobias Wensing; Jean Levasseur-Moreau; Jean Leblond; Alexander T Sack; Shirley Fecteau Journal: PLoS One Date: 2019-04-09 Impact factor: 3.240