title: Functional Connectivity Density Mapping of Depressive Symptoms and Loneliness in Non-Demented Elderly Male.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Depression and loneliness are prevalent and highly correlated phenomena among the elderly and influence both physical and mental health. Brain functional connectivity changes associated with depressive symptoms and loneliness are not fully understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional functional MRI study was conducted among 85 non-demented male elders. Geriatric depression scale-short form (GDS) and loneliness scale were used to evaluate the severity of depressive symptoms and loneliness, respectively. Whole brain voxel-wise resting-state functional connectivity density (FCD) mapping was performed to delineate short-range FCD (SFCD) and long-range FCD (LFCD). Regional correlations between depressive symptoms or loneliness and SFCD or LFCD were examined using general linear model (GLM), with age incorporated as a covariate and depressive symptoms and loneliness as predictors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Positive correlations between depressive symptoms and LFCD were observed in left rectal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus, right supraorbital gyrus, and left inferior temporal gyrus. Positive correlations between depressive symptoms and SFCD were observed in left middle frontal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus, bilateral superior medial frontal gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus, and left middle occipital region. Positive correlations between SFCD and loneliness were centered over bilateral lingual gyrus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Depressive symptoms are associated with FCD changes over frontal and temporal regions, which may involve the cognitive control, affective regulation, and default mode networks. Loneliness is associated with FCD changes in bilateral lingual gyri that are known to be important in social cognition. Depressive symptoms and loneliness may be associated with different brain regions in non-demented elderly male.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Taichung Veterans General HospitalTaichung, Taiwan; Institute of Brain Science, National Yang-Ming UniversityTaipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chen-Chia
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General HospitalTaipei, Taiwan; Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming UniversityTaipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Jen
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Institute of Brain Science, National Yang-Ming University Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chu-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General HospitalTaipei, Taiwan; Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming UniversityTaipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ying-Hsiu
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General HospitalTaipei, Taiwan; Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming UniversityTaipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tong-Ru
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Taipei Veterans Home Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Heng-Liang
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General HospitalTaipei, Taiwan; Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming UniversityTaipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Mu-En
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Brain Science, National Yang-Ming University Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Po
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General HospitalTaipei, Taiwan; Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming UniversityTaipei, Taiwan; Center for Dynamical Biomarkers and Translational Medicine, National Central UniversityChungli, Taiwan; Division of Interdisciplinary Medicine and Biotechnology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Albert C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Yang
keywords: brain imaging; depressive symptoms; elderly; functional connectivity density; loneliness