Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T07:49:28.029Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

BOLD activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in patients with late life depression and comparison participants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2017

Akshya Vasudev Open the ORCID record for Akshya Vasudev [Opens in a new window] ,
Michael J. Firbank ,
Joseph S. Gati ,
Emily Ionson  and
Alan J. Thomas
Akshya Vasudev*
Affiliation:
Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
Michael J. Firbank
Affiliation:
Institute of Neuroscience and Newcastle University Institute for Ageing, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Joseph S. Gati
Affiliation:
Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
Emily Ionson
Affiliation:
Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
Alan J. Thomas
Affiliation:
Institute of Neuroscience and Newcastle University Institute for Ageing, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr Akshya Vasudev, #A2-607, Victoria Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, 800 Commissioners Road East, London, Ontario, Canada. Phone: 1 519 667 6693; Fax: 1 519 667 6707. Email: akshya.vasudev@uwo.ca.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex's (vMPFC) role in regulating emotions in late life depression (LLD) remains unclarified. We assessed vMPFC activation in an emotional valence blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic neuroimaging (fMRI) task and related the findings to extent of white matter hyperintensities (WMH). Sixteen participants with mild to moderate LLD were compared to 14 similar aged comparison participants. Participants in the scanner viewed words matched for length and arousal, indicated the perceived valence by pressing one of the three buttons i.e. “positive, negative, or neutral.” WMH volume was greater in LLD participants than comparison participants. There were no differences in activations between groups to any valence contrast. Female LLD participants showed greater activation for negative versus positive and negative versus neutral words as compared to female comparison participants. Female LLD participants respond differently to emotionally laden words compared to comparison participants. WMH could play a role in etiopathology of emotional perception in female LLD participants.

Keywords

late life depressionBOLDfunctional MRIwhite matter hyperintensities
Type
Brief Report
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 30 , Issue 5: Issue Theme: Brain Imaging , May 2018 , pp. 629 - 634
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn, text rev.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.Google Scholar
Bechara, A., Tranel, D. and Damasio, H. (2000). Characterization of the decision-making deficit of patients with ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions. Brain, 123, 2189–2202.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bradley, M. M. and Lang, P. J. (1999). Affective norms for English words (ANEW): instruction manual and affective ratings. Technical Report C-1, The Center for Research in Psychophysiology, University of Florida.Google Scholar
Brassen, S., Kalisch, R., Weber-Fahr, W., Braus, D. F. and Büchel, C. (2008). Ventromedial prefrontal cortex processing during emotional evaluation in late-life depression: a longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Biological Psychiatry, 64, 349–355. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.03.022.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Critchley, H. D. (2005). Neural mechanisms of autonomic, affective, and cognitive integration. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 493, 154–166. doi:10.1002/cne.20749.Google Scholar
Drevets, W. C., Price, J. L. and Furey, M. L. (2008). Brain structural and functional abnormalities in mood disorders: implications for neurocircuitry models of depression. Brain Structure and Function, 213, 93–118. doi:10.1007/s00429-008-0189-x.Google Scholar
Firbank, M. J., Minett, T. and O'Brien, J. T. (2003). Changes in DWI and MRS associated with white matter hyperintensities in elderly subjects. Neurology, 61, 950–954.Google Scholar
Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E. and McHugh, P. R. (1975). “Mini-mental state”. A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189–198.Google Scholar
Nagai, Y., Critchley, H. D., Featherstone, E., Trimble, M. R. and Dolan, R. J. (2004). Activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex covaries with sympathetic skin conductance level: a physiological account of a “default mode” of brain function. Neuroimage, 22, 243–251. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.01.019.Google Scholar
Parmelee, P. A., Thuras, P. D., Katz, I. R. and Lawton, M. P. (1995). Validation of the cumulative illness rating scale in a geriatric residential population. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 43, 130–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385–401. Available at: http://apm.sagepub.com/content/1/3/385.abstract.Google Scholar
Sheikh, J. I. and Yesavage, J. A. (1986) Geriatric depression scale (GDS): recent evidence and development of a shorter version. Clinical Gerontology, 5, 165–173.Google Scholar
Teodorczuk, A. et al. (2007). White matter changes and late-life depressive symptoms: longitudinal study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 191, 212–217. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.107.036756.Google Scholar
Vasudev, A. et al. (2012). Relationship between cognition, magnetic resonance white matter hyperintensities, and cardiovascular autonomic changes in late-life depression. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20, 691–699. doi:10.1097/JGP.0b013e31824c0435.Google Scholar
Washburn, R. A., Smith, K. W., Jette, A. M. and Janney, C. A. (1993). The physical activity scale for the elderly (PASE): development and evaluation. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 46, 153–162.Google Scholar

Vasudev supplementary material

Vasudev supplementary material

Download Vasudev supplementary material(Audio)
Audio 120.5 KB