RSNA 2011 

Abstract Archives of the RSNA, 2011


LL-NRS-TH6B

Asymmetry of Brain Hemispheres in Mood Regulation Revealed by Comparisons between Normal and Depressed Conditions Using DTI and Psychiatric Measurements

Scientific Informal (Poster) Presentations

Presented on December 1, 2011
Presented as part of LL-NRS-TH: Neuroradiology

Participants

Fang Ji Liang, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose
Nianming Zuo, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose
Xueyu Lv, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose
Xiao Ling Wang MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose
Hai Bin Tong, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose
Yang Hong, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose
Yuan Zhou, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose
Weidong Wang, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose
Tianzi Jiang, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

PURPOSE

To investigate the different roles of the brain hemispheres in the mood regulation in the depression.

METHOD AND MATERIALS

Sixteen patients with mild and moderate major depression were conducted on MRI scan with 19 healthy subjects with matched age as the control group. The diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data in 25 directions was collected 1.5T scanner with the voxel size [1mm 1mm 4mm], gap in 0.5mm. Additionally, four questionnaires for the depression condition also obtained, including Hamilton Depression (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety (HAMA) Rating Scales, Auto-Mind and Meditation test. FMRIB/FSL toolbox was performed for registering the diffusion weighted image to the individual b0 image space without diffusion. Then the tensor computing was conducted by the FSL/DTI function to get the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), which separately characterize the fiber directional alignment and fiber in density. The voxel-based analysis was exploited to locate the altered areas as the initial regions of interest (ROI), and then to correlate these ROIs to the associated depressed measurements to find how the mood regulating patterns of between hemispheres differentiate.

RESULTS

Several clusters with lower FA or higher MD were found in the middle frontal lobe, superior temporal lobe. For the ROIs in the temporal lobe, we perform the correlation analysis separately in the control and the depression between the FA/MD values and the four questionnaires. We found that the ROIs in the left temporal lobe of patients have high correlations between FA/MD and the Meditation/Auto-Mind measurements, that undoubtedly reach a statistically significant level (p<0.05) (See Fig. 1 in the attachment).

CONCLUSION

Based on the correlations between DTI and psychiatrical measurements, we found that, although the entire limbic system are believed to be involved in mood regulation, the left hemisphere takes more active part than the right one in the depression

CLINICAL RELEVANCE/APPLICATION

This finding could be contributed to the base of anti-depressant treatment, such as the transcranial magnetic stimulation or acupuncture.

Cite This Abstract

Ji Liang, F, Zuo, N, Lv, X, Wang, X, Tong, H, Hong, Y, Zhou, Y, Wang, W, Jiang, T, Asymmetry of Brain Hemispheres in Mood Regulation Revealed by Comparisons between Normal and Depressed Conditions Using DTI and Psychiatric Measurements.  Radiological Society of North America 2011 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 26 - December 2, 2011 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2011/11034551.html