John Port

Patricia Pais-Roldán¹, Seong Dae Yun¹, Shukti Ramkiran^1,2, Ravichandran Rajkumar^1,2,3, Jana Hagen², Areej Al Okla¹, Tanja Veselinovic^1,2, Gereon Schnellbächer², Irene Neuner*^1,2,3, and N. Jon Shah*^1,3,4,5
1Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, INM-4, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany, ²Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH, Aachen, Germany, ³JARA - BRAIN - Translational Medicine, Aachen, Germany, ⁴Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany, ⁵Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 11, INM-11, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Brain Connectivity, Laminar connectivity, depression

Motivation: The relative contribution of each cortical depth to the network disturbances coupled with depression remains unexplored.
 

Goal(s): We aim to identify changes in connectivity along the cortical thickness during depression recovery.
 

Approach: We use high-resolution, large-coverage EPIK to functionally map the brain of patients before and after treatment and perform cortical-depth specific analysis of network connectivity.
 

Results: Changes in connectivity linked to depression treatment were observed at multiple depths of the cortex in two resting-state networks.
 

Impact: The demonstration that network connectivity does not change homogeneously in a patient population along the cortical depth suggests the importance of adding this variable to the analysis of psychiatric disorders to improve understanding of the mechanisms behind network disturbances.

Qian Zhang¹, Youjin Zhao¹, Aoxiang Zhang¹, Lizhou Chen¹, and Qiyong Gong^1
1Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders, major depressive disorder, fMRI, functional gradient, subcortical structure, cognition

Motivation: The continuous spatial patterns of inter-region connectivity within the subcortical network still remain less well-understood in MDD.

Goal(s): Using functional gradient mapping, a novel approach to identify hierarchical organization of functional networks, we aim to evaluate multiscale subcortical gradients in MDD and their association with cognition.
 

Approach: Subcortical gradient alterations at the global-, system-, and subregion-levels and their relation to neuropsychological functioning were assessed in MDD patients relative to healthy controls.

Results: Principal gradient values were lower in thalamic and limbic systems but higher in basal ganglia in MDD. Interactions between thalamic and basal ganglia gradient alterations were implicated in MDD-related memory impairments.

Impact: Multiscale subcortical gradient alterations can enhance our understanding of MDD-related hierarchical disturbances in subcortical function and may provide useful clinical biomarkers for cognitive impairments in MDD.

Xun Zhang¹ and Qiyong Gong^1
1Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

Keywords: Functional Connectivity, fMRI (resting state), biomarker

Motivation: Although discrete macroscale functional network abnormalities were observed in social anxiety disorder (SAD), the alterations of continuous spatial patterns of functional connectomes remain unknown.

Goal(s): We aimed to use a novel method to characterize aberrant patterns of connectome gradients in SAD patients.

Approach: We applied diffusion map embedding to characterize functional connectome gradients and investigated between-group differences of global and regional topological features and their clinical relevance.

Results: Globally, SAD patients demonstrated decreased explanation ratio, narrower gradient range and less spatial variation in the principal gradient. Regionally, SAD group showed increased gradients in the sensorimotor networks and decreased in the default mode network.

Impact: Our findings of internally clinically-relevant disrupted hierarchy patterns of functional connectomes could add further insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of SAD, and may advance the development of objective biomarkers for early diagnosis, targeted intervention, and therapeutic efficacy evaluation in SAD.

Kun Qin^1,2, Huiru Li³, Rui Hu¹, Lisha Zhang², Cunqing Kong¹, Wen Chen¹, Qiyong Gong², and Zhiyun Jia^2
1Department of Radiology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China, ²West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, ³The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Brain

Motivation: Suicide-related connectomic signatures in depression and underlying transcriptional patterns have been poorly understood, most previous findings were limited by small-sample and single-site design.

Goal(s): To identify robust brain structural network deficits associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) in major depressive disorder (MDD) and to determine related transcriptional profiles.

Approach: Based on mutlicenter MRI data of over 700 individuals, group-level connectomic comparisons and connectome-transcriptome association were analyzed.

Results: Robust structural connectomic alterations associated with STB in MDD were distributed in the prefrontal, limbic and temporal areas. STB-related connectomic alterations were spatially correlated with genes enriched for cellular metabolism and synaptic signaling.

Impact: These findings reveal a robust pattern of brain structural deficits at network level and demonstrate its linkage to gene expression patterns, which provides novel insights into the neurobiological underpinnings and potential markers for prediction and prevention of STB.

Guixian Tang¹, Pan Chen¹, Guanmao Chen¹, Wei Cui², and Ying Wang^1
1First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China, ²MR Research, GE Healthcare, Beijing, China, Guangzhou, China

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, fMRI (resting state)

Motivation: Bright light therapy (BLT) is one of the effective interventions for subthreshold depression, but its neural mechanism is still unclear.

Goal(s): The goal of this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was to assess the correlation between BLT and the dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) changes in the cingulate cortex along with distribution of specific neurotransmitters in subthreshold depression.

Approach:  A double-blind randomized controlled trial

Results: BLT alleviates depressive symptoms and changes the cingulate cortex dFC variability in subthreshold depression. And pre-treatment dFC variability of the cingulate cortex could be used as a biomarker for improved BLT treatment in subthreshold depression. 

Impact: BLT alleviates depressive symptoms and changes the cingulate cortex dFC variability in subthreshold depression, which raises the possibility that pre-treatment dFC variability of the cingulate cortex could be used as a biomarker for improved BLT treatment in subthreshold depression.

Guocheng Jiang^1,2, Walter Swardfager^2,3, Hugo Cogo-Moreira⁴, Sandra E Black^2,5, Benjamin I Goldstein^3,6, and Bradley J MacIntosh^1,2
1Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, ²Hurvitz Brain Science Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada, ³Department of pharmacology and toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, ⁴Department of Education, ICT and Learning, Østfold University College, Halden, Norway, ⁵Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, ⁶Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders, Mood

Motivation: The mood status of an individual can influence the brain anatomy and function.

Goal(s): We studied whether the mood state is associated with brain structural and functional alteration at 2.25 years follow-up and vice versa.

Approach: We focus on the regional brain volumes and task-induced function of the amygdala and primary visual cortex using T1w and task fMRI. Linear models tested for associations between mood and MRI readouts. 

Results: Baseline mood score is significantly associated with functional activation in the primary visual cortex. However, baseline volume and functional activation in the amygdala and primary visual cortex are not associated with future mood status.

Impact: We showed that mood status is associated with future functional activation in the primary visual cortex. However, MRI estimates of anatomy and function in the amygdala and primary visual cortex demonstrated a lack of predictive power for future mood status.

Tommaso Pavan^1,2, Yasser Alemán-Gómez^1,2, Pascal Steullet¹, Zoe Schilliger^1,3, Daniella Dwir¹, Raoul Jenni^1,3, Martine Cleusix¹, Luis Alameda^1,3, Kim Q. Do^1,3, Philippe Conus¹, Paul Klauser^1,3, Patric Hagmann¹, and Ileana Jelescu^1
1Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland, ²University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland, ³University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, White Matter, biomarker, diffusion, DKI, kurtosis, DTI, DWI, psychosis

Motivation: It is unclear whether Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and reductase (GRed) activity, peripheral proxy of redox homeostasis, could be linked to white matter alterations in psychosis.

Goal(s): We seek to link white matter alterations to processes connected to neuroinflammation, namely raising from dysregulation of the glutathione redox homeostasis.
 

Approach: We applied diffusion kurtosis imaging and White Matter Tract Integrity – Watson to patients data and analyzed the maps via Tract-Based Spatial Statistics(TBSS) and regression contrast analysis.
 

Results: We found selective and widespread association of kurtosis metrics with glutathione redox enzymes that significantly dissociate between patients and controls. 

 

Impact: Our findings reveal that Redox GSH dysregulation in patients may impact WM microstructure, indicating therapeutic possibilities and reinforcing the connection between microstructure and neuroinflammation. Furthermore, the neat selectivity of the kurtosis metrics highlights potential for widespread clinical research applications.
 

Wei Yu^1,2, Bo Tao^1,2, Qiannan Zhao^2,3, Yuan Xiao^1,2, Fei Zhu^1,2, Ziyang Gao^1,2, and Su Lui^1,2
1Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, ²Research Unit of Psychoradiology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu, China, ³Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Brain, thalamic nuclei

Motivation: Schizophrenia is characterized by high heterogeneity, with the core symptom of cognitive impairment. However, it is unclear that whether the patterns of thalamic nuclei volume alterations is associated with cognitive function in schizophrenia.

Goal(s): To investigate the pattern and heterogeneity of thalamic nuclei alterations and cognition in schizophrenia.

Approach: The cluster analysis (K-means++) was used to identify the subtype of schizophrenia. And machine learning model was developed to validate the reproducibility of subtypes.

Results: We uncovered two markedly distinct neuroanatomical subtypes of schizophrenia. One of the subtypes characterized as widespread decrease in thalamic nuclei and severe cognition deficit.

Impact: These findings could help to identify biological targets related to the treatment of schizophrenia, and improve the functional outcomes in patients with schizophrenia.