Study Report
Reference
| Citation | Desseilles, 2009 PubMed |
| Full Info | Desseilles, M., Balteau, E., Sterpenich, V., Dang-Vu, T.T., Darsaud, A., Vandewalle, G., Albouy, G., Salmon, E., Peters, F., Schmidt, C. et al. (2009) Abnormal neural filtering of irrelevant visual information in depression. J Neurosci, 29, 1395-1403.
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Study
| Hypothesis or Background |
The pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) includes both affective and cognitive dysfunctions. We aimed to clarify how regions regulating affective processing interact with those involved in attention, and how such interaction impacts perceptual processing within sensory cortices. Based on previous work showing that top-down influences from attention can determine the processing of external inputs within early sensory cortices, we tested with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) whether MDD alters attentional (top-down) effects on the neural filtering of irrelevant, nonemotional visual stimuli.
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| Sample Information | The present fMRI study was conducted in 14 nonmedicated patients with a first episode of unipolar MDD and 14 matched controls. |
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| Method Detail | During scanning, subjects performed two tasks imposing two different levels of attentional load at fixation (easy or difficult), while irrelevant colored stimuli were presented in the periphery. |
| Method Keywords | functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) |
| Result | Analyses of fMRI data revealed that MDD patients show (1) an abnormal filtering of irrelevant information in visual cortex, (2) an altered functional connectivity between frontoparietal networks and visual cortices, and (3) a hyperactivity in subgenual cingulate/medial orbitofrontal cortex that was modulated by attentional load. |
| Conclusions | These results demonstrate that biological abnormalities contribute to the cognitive deficits seen in major depression, and clarify how neural networks implicated in mood regulation influence executive control and perceptual processes. These findings not only improve our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunctions in MDD, but also shed new light on the interaction between cognition and mood regulation. |
Relationships reported by
Desseilles, 2009
| Component A Approved Name (Name in Paper) |
Component A Type |
Component B Approved Name (Name in Paper) |
Component B Type |
Statistical Result |
Relationship Description |
Result Category (Positive/Negative)) |
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Attention (attention)
|
cognition and behavior |
medial orbitofrontal cortex (medial orbitofrontal cortex) |
brain morphology and function |
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Analyses of fMRI data revealed that MDD patients show a hyperactivity in subgenual cingulate/medial orbitofrontal cortex that was modulated by attentional load. |
Positive
|
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Frontoparietal cortex (frontoparietal networks)
|
brain morphology and function |
Visual cortex (visual cortices) |
brain morphology and function |
|
Analyses of fMRI data revealed that MDD patients show an altered functional connectivity between frontoparietal networks and visual cortices |
Positive
|
|
MDD
|
syndrome |
Visual cortex (visual cortex) |
brain morphology and function |
|
Analyses of fMRI data revealed that MDD patients show an abnormal filtering of irrelevant information in visual cortex. |
Positive
|
|
MDD
|
syndrome |
Subgenual cingulate (subgenual cingulate cortex) |
brain morphology and function |
|
Analyses of fMRI data revealed that MDD patients show a hyperactivity in subgenual cingulate/medial orbitofrontal cortex that was modulated by attentional load. |
Positive
|
|
MDD
|
syndrome |
medial orbitofrontal cortex (medial orbitofrontal cortex) |
brain morphology and function |
|
Analyses of fMRI data revealed that MDD patients show a hyperactivity in subgenual cingulate/medial orbitofrontal cortex that was modulated by attentional load. |
Positive
|
|
Attention (attention)
|
cognition and behavior |
Subgenual cingulate (subgenual cingulate cortex) |
brain morphology and function |
|
Analyses of fMRI data revealed that MDD patients show a hyperactivity in subgenual cingulate/medial orbitofrontal cortex that was modulated by attentional load. |
Positive
|
