• Wenjun Li, Douglas WardBBDepartment of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA., Xiaolin Liu, Gang Chen, Jennifer L Jones, Piero G Antuono, Shi-Jiang Li, and Joseph S Goveas.
• Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
• J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 2015 Oct 1; 86 (10): 109711051097-105.

BackgroundThe topological architecture of the whole-brain functional networks in those with and without late-life depression (LLD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) are unknown.AimsTo investigate the differences in the small-world measures and the modular community structure of the functional networks between patients with LLD and aMCI when occurring alone or in combination and cognitively healthy non-depressed controls.Methods79 elderly participants (LLD (n=23), aMCI (n=18), comorbid LLD and aMCI (n=13), and controls (n=25)) completed neuropsychiatric assessments. Graph theoretical methods were employed on resting-state functional connectivity MRI data.ResultsLLD and aMCI comorbidity was associated with the greatest disruptions in functional integration measures (decreased global efficiency and increased path length); both LLD groups showed abnormal functional segregation (reduced local efficiency). The modular network organisation was most variable in the comorbid group, followed by patients with LLD-only. Decreased mean global, local and nodal efficiency metrics were associated with greater depressive symptom severity but not memory performance.ConclusionsConsidering the whole brain as a complex network may provide unique insights on the neurobiological underpinnings of LLD with and without cognitive impairment.Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

32 keywords...

hide…