Quantitative prediction of individual psychopathology in trauma survivors using resting-state FMRI.
Neuroimaging techniques hold the promise that they may one day aid the clinical assessment of individual psychiatric patients. However, the vast majority of studies published so far have been based on average differences between groups. This study employed a multivariate approach to examine the potential of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data for making accurate predictions about psychopathology in survivors of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake at an individual level. Resting-state functional MRI data was acquired for 121 survivors of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake each of whom was assessed for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using the 17-item PTSD Checklist (PCL). Using a multivariate analytical method known as relevance vector regression (RVR), we examined the relationship between resting-state functional MRI data and symptom scores. We found that the use of RVR allowed quantitative prediction of clinical scores with statistically significant accuracy (correlation=0.32, P=0.006; mean squared error=176.88, P=0.001). Accurate prediction was based on functional activation in a number of prefrontal, parietal, and occipital regions. This is the first evidence that neuroimaging techniques may inform the clinical assessment of trauma-exposed individuals by providing an accurate and objective quantitative estimation of psychopathology. Furthermore, the significant contribution of parietal and occipital regions to such estimation challenges the traditional view of PTSD as a disorder specific to the fronto-limbic network.
Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Qiyong
Q
Gong
Mental Health Institute, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.
Lingjiang
L
Li
Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Mingying
M
Du
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
William
W
Pettersson-Yeo
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
Nicolas
N
Crossley
1] Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China [2] Department of Psychiatry, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Xun
X
Yang
Department of Psychiatry, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Jing
J
Li
Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Xiaoqi
X
Huang
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
Andrea
A
Mechelli
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012146:Rest; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality
D010100:Oxygen