Title : Altered local gyrification index and corresponding functional connectivity in depressed adolescents with suicide attempt and non-suicidal self-injury
Abstract:
Background: Suicide attempt (SA) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are serious public health problems in adolescent patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Research evidence on the neurostructural and neurofunctional implications of these behaviors remains insufficient, and the underlying mechanisms regarding the differential presentation of SA and NSSI is poorly understood. Here, we sought to determine whether patients show brain structure and function by local gyrification index (LGI) and resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC).
Methods: We compared scale score and multimodal magnetic resonance signals among three groups of female adolescents: MDD with NSSI plus SA (SA+NSSI group, n=45), MDD with NSSI alone (NSSI group, n=31), and healthy control (HC group, n=28). Surface-based morphometry (SBM) analysis and corresponding seed-based RS-FC analysis were performed for assessing LGI and RS-FC. Partial correlation analysis was applied for potential associations with SA+NSSI group and NSSI group symptom severity.
Results: Compared with the HC group, both the SA+NSSI group and the NSSI group had significantly lower LGI in the prefrontal gyrus, mainly distributed in the rostral middle frontal gyrus, caudal middle frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, and postcentral gyrus (post-CG_R) on the right side of the brain, as well as the rostral middle frontal gyrus (rostral MFG_L), precentral gyrus, and opercular part of the inferior frontal gyrus on the left side of the brain (cluster p<0.05, FDR corrected). Furthermore, there were alterations of RS-FC in post-CG_R and the rostral MFG_L, regions which exhibited decreased LGI (cluster p<0.05, FDR corrected). Moreover, decreased LGI in the rostral MFG_L and surrounding cortex was negatively correlated with the score of emotional abuse in childhood.
Conclusions: Our results provide evidence about the potential relationship between alterations in brain structure and function in depressed adolescents with SA and NSSI. Additionally, our study findings may provide clues to identify differential neurostructural and neurofunctional mechanisms in SA+NSSI and NSSI.
Keywords: Adolescents, Depression, NSSI, suicide attempt, Local Gyrification Index, Resting-State Functional Connectivity
