Delineating the anatomical correlates of neurocognitive and psychomotor dysfunction in depression by fMRI

通过功能磁共振成像描绘抑郁症神经认知和精神运动功能障碍的解剖学相关性

• 批准号: nhmrc : 113826
• 负责人: Prof Ian Hickie
• 金额: $ 25.89万
• 依托单位国家: 澳大利亚
• 项目类别: NHMRC Project Grants
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 澳大利亚
• 起止时间: 2000-01-01 至 2002-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://researchdata.edu.au/delineating-anatomical-correlates-depression-fmri/96825
• 关键词: Delineating; anatomical; correlates; neurocognitive; psychomotor

Severe depression is characterised by slowing of mental and motor abilities. Previous research by our group indicates the role of small frontal and basal brain regions in the regulation of these abilities. This research will extend our previous studies by providing new information detailing the underlying physiology of behavioural and structural abnormalities in patients with severe depression. Emerging research by our group and others suggest that some types of severe depression in later life are due to undetected forms of cerebrovascular disease. If we are able to demonstrate that the key features of severe depression of this type (psychomotor, attentional, memory and executive disturbance and global disability) are related to such brain changes this may lead to a major breakthrough in the prevention and treatment of these disorders. A new type of brain imaging technology called 'functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging' (fMRI) permits simultaneous investigation of the structure and function of small areas of the brain. As the technique does not use radiation and can be performed while the patient is completing mental tasks, it can be used in repeated experiments. Consequently, it permits description of brain changes (areas of activation) that occur during specific mental tasks. Therefore, if we are now able to use this technique to extend our previous clinical and imaging studies we will be able to test whether some forms of late-life depression are due to undetected brain changes.

严重抑郁症的特点是智力和运动能力下降。我们小组之前的研究表明，额叶和基底脑的小区域在这些能力的调节中的作用。这项研究将通过提供详细描述严重抑郁症患者行为和结构异常的潜在生理学的新信息来扩展我们以前的研究。我们小组和其他人的新研究表明，晚年的一些严重抑郁是由于未被发现的脑血管疾病。如果我们能够证明这种类型的严重抑郁症的关键特征（精神运动、注意力、记忆和执行障碍以及整体残疾）与这种大脑变化有关，这可能会在预防和治疗这些疾病方面取得重大突破。一种名为“功能性磁共振成像”（fMRI）的新型脑成像技术可以同时研究大脑小区域的结构和功能。由于该技术不使用辐射，并且可以在患者完成心理任务时进行，因此可以用于重复实验。因此，它允许描述在特定的智力任务中发生的大脑变化（激活区域）。因此，如果我们现在能够使用这项技术来扩展我们以前的临床和成像研究，我们将能够测试某些形式的晚年抑郁症是否是由于未被发现的大脑变化。