title: Reduced frontal activation during verbal fluency task in chronic hepatitis C patients with interferon-based therapy as measured by near-infrared spectroscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Psychiatric side-effects are the main reason for discontinuation of interferon (IFN)-based therapy. Recent developments in near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) have enabled non-invasive clarification of brain functions in psychiatric disorders. We prospectively evaluated brain activation in 20 chronic hepatitis C patients with or without IFN-based therapy by using NIRS during a verbal fluency task (VFT).
  
  
  METHODS
  The relative concentrations of oxygenated hemoglobin were measured while patients completed a questionnaire survey at the start of treatment and at 4 and 12 weeks during treatment, using NIRS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The VFT performance did not change among the two groups. Patients with IFN-based therapy showed significantly lower activation during VFT in frontal channels at 12 weeks than those at the start of treatment and control (P < 0.05). Their Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores were significantly higher at 12 weeks than those at the start of treatment, although major depressive symptoms were not found (8.3 ± 7.9 vs. 13.2 ± 6.0, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The decrease in oxygenated hemoglobin concentrations of the frontal lobe detected using NIRS in this study reflects hypofunction of the frontal lobe. This functional decline that was caused by IFN-based therapy may be associated with the prodromal phase of depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazumichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.|Department of Neuropsychiatry, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Sachie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oshima
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Soichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kono
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanno
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imaizumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okai
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Aizu Medical Center, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Niwa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirooki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohira
keywords: brain activation; chronic hepatitis C; near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS); oxy-hemoglobin; pegylated interferon