Functional neuroanatomical correlates of eye movements during rapid eye movement sleep in depressed patients.
In depressed patients, REM density, or the number of rapid eye movements (REMs) per minute of REM sleep, is a correlate of depression severity and clinical outcomes. We investigated the functional neuroanatomical correlates of average REM counts (RC), an automated analog of REM density, in depression. Thirteen medication-free depressed patients underwent all night polysomnography and positron emission tomography (PET) scans using [(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose ([(18)F] FDG) during REM sleep. Regression analyses were conducted with Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM-99). Average RC significantly and positively correlated with relative regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (rCMRglc) bilaterally in the striate cortex, the posterior parietal cortices, and in the medial and ventrolateral prefrontal cortices. Average RC were negatively correlated with rCMRglc in areas corresponding bilaterally to the lateral occipital cortex, cuneus, temporal cortices, and parahippocampal gyri. The areas where average RC was positively correlated with rCMRglc appear to constitute a diffuse cortical system involved in the regulation of emotion-induced arousal. The observed pattern of correlations suggests that average RC may be a marker of hypofrontality during REM sleep in depressed patients.
Germain
Anne
A
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3811 O'Hara Street, E-1116, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. germaina@msx.upmc.edu
Buysse
Daniel J
DJ
Wood
Annette
A
Nofzinger
Eric
E
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology*; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose