title: Negative correlation between affective symptoms and prefrontal activation during a verbal fluency task: a near-infrared spectroscopy study.
abstract: Only a few studies have examined the relationships between affective symptoms, cognitive function (e.g. verbal fluency), quality of life (QOL), and brain activation in a nonclinical population. The aim of the present study was to assess these relationships and examine the underlying cortical mechanisms in a nonclinical population. Fifty-two healthy male volunteers were assessed for depressive symptoms using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), for apathy using the Apathy Scale, and QOL using the Medical Outcomes Study short-form 36-item questionnaire (SF36). The volunteers also performed a verbal fluency test (VFT) while hemoglobin concentration changes were assessed on the surface of the frontal cortex using 24-channel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The SDS and Apathy Scale scores showed significant negative correlations with the scores of most of the SF36 subscales. Frontal activation had a significant negative correlation with the SDS scores and the Apathy Scale. These results suggest that the degree of affective symptoms is associated with a lower QOL in a nonclinical population, and that cortical hypoactivation during a VFT measured by NIRS may objectively identify individuals with a high degree of affective symptoms.
authors: Daijikai Mihara Hospital, Mihara, Japan.
authors: Masayo
authors: M
authors: Sawa
authors: Hidehisa
authors: H
authors: Yamashita
authors: Koichiro
authors: K
authors: Fujimaki
authors: Go
authors: G
authors: Okada
authors: Terumichi
authors: T
authors: Takahashi
authors: Shigeto
authors: S
authors: Yamawaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins; C100003:deoxyhemoglobin