Journal
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
Volume 298, Issue -, Pages 472-480Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.125
Keywords
Bipolar depression; Unipolar depression; Gray matter volume; Circadian-related genes; Gene expression
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [81630030, 81920108018, 82001413]
- Special Foundation for Brain Research from Science and Technology Program of Guangdong [2018B030334001]
- Project for Hangzhou Medical Disciplines of Excellence & Key Project for Hangzhou Medical Disciplines
- Key Project of Hangzhou Science and technology Bureau [202004A11]
- Introduction Project of Suzhou Clinical Expert Team [SZYJTD201715]
- Key R & D projects of Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province [2021YFS0248]
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [2020M673247]
- Postdoctoral Science Foundation of West China Hospital [2020HXBH163]
- 1.3.5 Project for disciplines of excellence, West China Hospital of Sichuan University [ZY2016103, ZY2016203, ZYGD20004]
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Patients with bipolar depression or unipolar depression shared gray matter volume abnormalities in the right thalamus. The PER3 and CRY2 genes may play critical roles in right hippocampal dysfunction in bipolar depression and right thalamic dysfunction in unipolar depression, respectively. These findings provide potential molecular targets for the treatment of mood disorders.
Objectives The current study aimed to identify shared and distinct brain structure abnormalities and their relationships with the expression of circadian genes in patients with bipolar or unipolar depression. Method A total of 93 subjects participated in this study, including 32 patients with bipolar depression (BDP), 26 patients with unipolar depression (UDP) and 35 age-and sex-matched healthy controls. Brain structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained, and optimized voxel-based morphometry was used to explore group differences in regional gray matter volume (GMV). The mRNA expression levels of circadian genes in peripheral blood were measured using reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results Our results showed that the GMV in brain regions in the thalamus-limbic pathways had significantly increased in the BDP patients compared to controls, while the increased GMV in UDP patients compared to controls was limited to the thalamus. The mRNA expression levels of circadian-related genes decreased significantly in patients with BDP, but increased in patients with UDP, compared to controls. In addition, the GMV in the right thalamus in the patients with UDP was positively associated with mRNA levels of CRY2, while the GMV in the right hippocampus in the patients with BDP was negatively associated with mRNA levels of PER3. Conclusion Our study suggested that patients with BDP or MDD shared GMV abnormalities in the right thalamus. The PER3 and CRY2 genes might be critical to right hippocampal dysfunction in BDP and right thalamic dysfunction in UDP, respectively. The result provided potentially important molecular targets for the treatment of mood disorders.
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