title: Enhanced default mode network connectivity with ventral striatum in subthreshold depression individuals.
abstract: Subthreshold depression (StD) is a highly prevalent condition associated with increased service utilization and social morbidity. Nevertheless, due to limitations in current diagnostic systems that set the boundary for major depressive disorder (MDD), very few brain imaging studies on the neurobiology of StD have been carried out, and its underlying neurobiological mechanism remains unclear. In recent years, accumulating evidence suggests that the disruption of the default mode network (DMN), a network involved in self-referential processing, affective cognition, and emotion regulation, is involved in major depressive disorder. Using independent component analysis, we investigated resting-state default mode network (DMN) functional connectivity (FC) changes in two cohorts of StD patients with different age ranges (young and middle-aged, n = 57) as well as matched controls (n = 79). We found significant FC increase between the DMN and ventral striatum (key region in the reward network), in both cohorts of StD patients in comparison with controls. In addition, we also found the FC between the DMN and ventral striatum was positively and significantly associated with scores on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), a measurement of depressive symptomatology. We speculate that this enhanced FC between the DMN and the ventral striatum may reflect a self-compensation to ameliorate the lowered reward function.
authors.affiliation: School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.affiliation: School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China; Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Program, Wellesley College, USA; School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: School of Management, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China; Institute of Health Preserving of Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: X Q
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA.
authors.forename: X Y
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China; Department of Oncology and Hematology, Dongzhimen Hospital affiliated to Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: X J
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China. Electronic address: tuyab@263.net.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA. Electronic address: kongj@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001931:Brain Mapping; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D012044:Regression Analysis; D066328:Ventral Striatum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Default mode network; Independent component analysis; Resting-state functional connectivity; Subthreshold depression; Ventral striatum; fMRI