Association between abnormal default mode network activity and suicidality in depressed adolescents
Shuang Zhang, Jian-Mei Chen, L. Kuang, Jun Cao, Han Zhang, Ming Ai, Wo Wang, Shu-Dong Zhang, Su-Ya Wang, Shi-Jing Liu, Wei-Dong Fang
BMC Psychiatry September 29, 2016 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-016-1047-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case-control neuroimaging study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 100 |
| Population | Adolescent patients with depression, including those with and without a history of attempted suicide, and healthy controls |
| Measures | Hamilton Depression Scale (HDRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), Suicide Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI) |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Depressed adolescents showed altered DMN functional connectivity compared with healthy controls. Suicidal depressed patients showed increased connectivity in the left cerebellum and left lingual gyrus and decreased connectivity in the right precuneus compared with non-suicidal depressed patients, while no clinical scale scores differed between the two depressed groups. The authors suggest abnormal PCC/precuneus and left cerebellum connectivity may serve as a predictor of suicidal behavior in depressed adolescents. |
Abstract
BackgroundSuicide is the second leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds in China, and 60 % of suicidal patients have a history of depression. Previous brain imaging studies have shown that depression and suicide may be associated with abnormal activity in default mode network (DMN) regions. However, no study has specifically investigated the relationship between DMN functional activity and suicidal behavior in depressed individuals. Therefore, in the present study, we directly investigated features of DMN brain activity in adolescent patients with histories of depression and attempted suicide.MethodsA total of 35 sex- and age-matched suicidal depressed patients were compared with 18 non-suicidal depressed patients and 47 healthy controls. We explored functional activity changes in DMN regions that could be associated with suicidal behavior by comparing resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) signals using independent component analysis (ICA). Scores on six clinical scales that measure depression severity (Hamilton Depression Scale (HDRS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)) and suicidal traits (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), Suicide Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI)) were compared in the three groups.ResultsCompared with the healthy controls, all of the evaluated depressed patients showed increased functional connectivity in select DMN regions. The suicidal patients showed increased connectivity in the left cerebellum and decreased connectivity in the right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), whereas the non-suicidal depressed patients showed increased connectivity in the left superior frontal gyrus, left lingual gyrus and right precuneus and decreased connectivity in the left cerebellum. Compared to the non-suicidal patients, the suicidal patients showed increased connectivity in the left cerebellum and the left lingual gyrus and decreased connectivity in the right precuneus. No differences in the scores of any clinical scales were found between the suicidal and non-suicidal depressed patients.ConclusionsCollectively, our results highlight the importance of the DMN in the pathophysiology of depression and suggest that suicidal behavior in depressed adolescents may be related to abnormal functional connectivity in the DMN. In particular, abnormal connectivity in the PCC/precuneus and left cerebellum might be a predictor of suicidal behavior in depressed adolescent patients.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis | |
| Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2009 | Experimental study using fMRI | |
| Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers | 2012 | Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Therapeutic uses of psychedelics for eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder Journal of Psychopharmacology December 14, 2022
- Ketamine-related neural changes in treatment-resistant depression: A multimodal synthesis of fMRI and PET studies. Journal of Affective Disorders April 28, 2026
- Altered longitudinal trajectory of default mode network connectivity in healthy youth with subclinical depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience February 17, 2023
Cites 3
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Neuroimage June 13, 2008
- Fractionating the Default Mode Network: Distinct Contributions of the Ventral and Dorsal Posterior Cingulate Cortex to Cognitive Control Journal of Neuroscience March 2, 2011