Lower Locus Coeruleus MRI intensity in patients with late-life major depression

PeerJ

Pol Canal-Noguer¹  Ramon Reñé²  Inmaculada Rico²  Jordi Gascón²  Ignacio Martínez-Zalacaín³  Andrés Guinea-Izquierdo³  Virginia Soria³  Inés del Cerro³  José Manuel Menchón³  Mikel Urretavizcaya³  Isidre Ferrer⁴  Mónica Giménez⁵  Carles Soriano-Mas⁵  Carlos Aguilera⁶  Gerard Blasco⁶  Angels Camins⁶ 

[1] B2SLab/Departament d’Enginyeria de Sistemes, Automàtica i Informàtica Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain;Dementia Diagnostic and Treatment Unit/Department of Neurology, Bellvitge University Hospital,Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona), Spain;Department of Clinical Sciences/School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain;Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics/Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona), Spain;Department of Psychiatry/Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona), Spain;Imaging Diagnostic Institute (IDI), Bellvitge University Hospital, Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona), Spain;

关键词: Major depressive disorder;    Amnestic mild cognitive impairment;    Locus coeruleus;    Magnetic resonance imaging;    Neuromelanin;    Serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.10828

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Background The locus coeruleus (LC) is the major noradrenergic source in the central nervous system. Structural alterations in the LC contribute to the pathophysiology of different neuropsychiatric disorders, which may increase to a variable extent the likelihood of developing neurodegenerative conditions. The characterization of such alterations may therefore help to predict progression to neurodegenerative disorders. Despite the LC cannot be visualized with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), specific MRI sequences have been developed to infer its structural integrity. Methods We quantified LC signal Contrast Ratios (LCCRs) in late-life major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 37, 9 with comorbid aMCI), amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) (n = 21, without comorbid MDD), and healthy controls (HCs) (n = 31), and also assessed the putative modulatory effects of comorbidities and other clinical variables. Results LCCRs were lower in MDD compared to aMCI and HCs. While no effects of aMCI comorbidity were observed, lower LCCRs were specifically observed in patients taking serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Conclusion Our results do not support the hypothesis that lower LCCRs characterize the different clinical groups that may eventually develop a neurodegenerative disorder. Conversely, our results were specifically observed in patients with late-life MDD taking SNRIs. Further research with larger samples is warranted to ascertain whether medication or particular clinical features of patients taking SNRIs are associated with changes in LC neurons.

【 授权许可】

Unknown