Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T07:56:20.888Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Cerebral perfusion correlates of depressed mood

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Klaus P. Ebmeier*
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Jonathan T. O. Cavanagh
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Anthony P. R. Moffoot
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Michael F. Glabus
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Ronan E. O'Carroll
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Guy M. Goodwin
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
*
Dr K. P. Ebmeier, MRC Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH10 5HF

Abstract

Background

The spontaneous diurnal variation of mood and other symptoms provides a substrate for the examination of the relationship between symptoms and regional brain activation in depression.

Method

Twenty unipolar depressed patients with diurnal variation of mood were examined at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. with neuropsychological measures, clinical ratings and single photon emission tomography (SPET). Brain perfusion maps were spatially transformed into standard stereotactic space and compared pixel-by-pixel. A parametric (correlational) analysis was used to examine the relationship between symptom severity and brain perfusion, both between and within subjects.

Results

Global depression severity and an independent ‘vital’ depression factor were associated in subjects with increased perfusion in cingulate and other paralimbic areas. In addition there was a probable association between an increase in an anxious-depression factor and reduced frontal neocortical perfusion.

Conclusions

Depressive symptom changes are associated with metabolic changes in the cingulate gyrus and associated paralimbic structures.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn. revised) (DSM-III-R). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Austin, M.-P., Dougall, N., Ross, M., et al (1992) Single photon emission tomography with 99mTc-Exametazime in major depression and the pattern of brain activity underlying the psychotic/neurotic continuum, Journal of Affective Disorders, 26, 3144.Google Scholar
Bench, C. J., Friston, K. J., Brown, R. G., et al (1991) Regional cerebral blood flow in depression measured by positron emission tomography: the relationship with clinical dimensions. Psychological Medicine. 23, 579590.Google Scholar
Briggs, G. G. & Nebes, R. D. (1975) Patterns of hand preference in a student population. Cortex. I 230238.Google Scholar
Crawford, J. R., Stewart, L. E., Parker, D. M., et al (1989) Estimating premorbid intelligence: combining psychometric and demographic approaches improves predictive accuracy Personality and Individual Differences. 10, 793796.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ebert, D. & Ebmeier, K. P. (1996) The role of the cingulate gyrus in depression: from functional anatomy to neurochemistry Biological Psychiatry. 39, 10441050.Google Scholar
Ebmeior, K. P., Steale, J. D., Mackenzie, D., et al (1995) Cognitive brain potentials and regional cerebral blood flow equivalents during two- and three-sound auditory ‘oddball’ tasks. Electroencephalography and Oinical Neurophysiology 95, 434443.Google Scholar
Eysenck, H. J. & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1975) Manual of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. London: Hodder & Stoughton.Google Scholar
Friston, K. J. Ashbumar, J., Frith, C. D., et al (1995) Spatial registration and normalization of images. Human Brain Mapping. 3, 165189.Google Scholar
Friston, R. J. (1994) Statistical Parametric Mapping. In Functional Neuroimaging (eds Thatcher, RW., Hallet, M., Zeffiro, T. et al), pp. 7993. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Frith, C. D., Friston, K. J., Liddle, P. F., at al (1991) Willed action and the prefinontal cortex in man: a study with PET Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 167, 659 662.Google Scholar
Gaorge, M. S., Ketter, T. A., Parakh, P. I., et al (1995) Brain activity during transient sadness and happiness in healthy women. American Journal of Psychiatry 152, 341351.Google Scholar
Goodwin, G. M., Austin, M.-P., Dougall, N., et al (1993) State changes in brain activity shown by the uptake of 99mTc-Exametazime with single photon emission tomography in major depression between and after treatment. Journal of Affective Disorders. 29, 243253.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lezak, M. D. (1983) Neuropsychological Assessment. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Mackay, , Cox, T., Burrows, G., et al (1975) An inventory for the measurement of self-reported stress and arousal. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 17, 283284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maclean, P. D. (1985) Brain evolution relating to family play and the separation call. Archives of General Psychiatry 42, 405417.Google Scholar
Malizia, A. L., Allan, S. J., Maisay, M. N., et al (1994) Changes in low frontal cerebral blood flow correlate with outcome in stereotactic subcaudate tractotomy earned out for refractory depression In Refractory Depression: Current Strategies and Future Directions (eds Nolen, W A., Zhohar, J., Roose, S. P., et al). Chichester: John Wiley Google Scholar
Mayberg, H. S., Lawis, P. J., Ragenold, W., et al (1994) Paralimbic hypoperfusion in unipolar depression, Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 35, 929934.Google ScholarPubMed
Moffoot, A. R. R., O'Carroll, R. E., Bannie, J., et al (1994) Diurnal variation of mood and neuropsychological function in major depression with melancholia, Journal of Affective Disorders. 32, 257269.Google Scholar
Nelson, H. E. & Willison, J. R. (1991) The Revised National Adult Reading Test-Test Manual. Windsor: NFER-Nelson.Google Scholar
Pardo, J. V., Pardo, P. J. & Raichle, M. E. (1993) Neural correlates of self-induced dysphoria. American Journal of Psychiatry 150, 713719.Google ScholarPubMed
Rey, A. (1944) L'examen Clinique en Psychohgie. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.Google Scholar
von Zerssen, D., Strian, F. & Schwarz, D. (1974) Evaluation of depressive states, especially in longitudinal studies. In Psychological Measurements in Psychopharmacology (ed. Pichot, P.) pp. 189202. Paris: Karger Google Scholar
Walloar, L. G. (1990) The measurement of anxiety. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 66, S11S17 Google Scholar
Wechsler, D. (1981) Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Test Manual. New York: Psychological Corporatioa Google Scholar
Wu, J. C. & Bunney, W E. (1990) The biological basis of an antidepressant response to sleep deprivation and relapse: Review and hypothesis. American Journal of Psychiatry 147, 1421.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.