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Decreased cerebral haemodynamic response to cognitive and physiological tasks in mood disorders as shown by near-infrared spectroscopy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2002

K. MATSUO, ,
N. KATO  and
T. KATO
K. MATSUO,
Affiliation:
From the Department of Psychiatry, JR Tokyo General Hospital and Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo; and Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Riken, Japan
N. KATO
Affiliation:
From the Department of Psychiatry, JR Tokyo General Hospital and Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo; and Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Riken, Japan
T. KATO
Affiliation:
From the Department of Psychiatry, JR Tokyo General Hospital and Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo; and Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, Brain Science Institute, Riken, Japan
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Abstract

Background. Hypofrontality has been demonstrated in mood disorders by functional brain imaging methods such as positron emission tomography. However, the neurobiological basis of hypofrontality has not been well clarified. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive technique for continuous monitoring of alterations in oxygenated (oxyHb) and deoxygenated (deoxyHb) haemoglobin using near-infrared light, which penetrates biological tissues.

Methods. We used NIRS during cognitive and physiological tasks to investigate alterations of haemoglobin oxygenation in the frontal region of euthymic patients with mood disorders (major depressive disorder (MD) and bipolar disorder (BP)) and in controls.

Results. The increase of oxyHb during a verbal fluency task was significantly less in the MD and the BP groups than in the controls. The MD group showed a significantly smaller decrease of oxyHb during hyperventilation than the controls. The BP group also showed a similar trend.

Conclusions. These findings suggest that the hypofrontality in mood disorders may be associated with a poor response in the cerebral blood vessels to neuronal and chemical stimuli.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 32 , Issue 6 , August 2002 , pp. 1029 - 1037
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

Part of this study was presented at the March 2000 meeting of the Japanese Biological Psychiatry Association, which was held in Tokyo.