Presented During:
Thursday, June 27, 2024: 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
COEX
Room:
Conference Room E 1
Poster No:
746
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Saurabh Sonkusare1, Yingying Zhang2, Qiong Ding3, Yashu Feng4, Linbin Wang2, Violeta Casero3, Shikun Zhan4, Dianyou Li4, Bomin Sun4, Valerie Voon3
Institutions:
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, Chi, Shanghai, China, 3Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 4Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China, Shanghai, China
First Author:
Saurabh Sonkusare
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Co-Author(s):
Yingying Zhang
Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, Chi
Shanghai, China
Qiong Ding
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Yashu Feng
Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
Shanghai, China
Linbin Wang
Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, Chi
Shanghai, China
Violeta Casero
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Shikun Zhan
Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
Shanghai, China
Dianyou Li
Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
Shanghai, China
Bomin Sun
Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
Shanghai, China
Valerie Voon
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Introduction:
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a part of 'extended amygdala' [1], is densely connected with limbic structures, hypothalamic and brainstem nuclei. It plays a critical role in emotional processing especially fear, anxiety [2] and prosocial behaviour [3] with its dysfunction implicated in many psychiatric illnesses including major depression [4]. Yet, its functional dynamics remain poorly characterised in humans.
Methods:
We acquired neuronal recordings from BNST from a cohort of 23 patients (Figure 1A) with treatment resistant depression undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) in a clinical trial. We employed two tasks (Figure 1B): 1) empathy for pain (painful and non-painful pictures), 2) affect task (positive and negative pictures). We first characterised task induced spectral dynamics and used permutation testing to assess condition differences. Time-frequency clusters showing condition differences were then tested for their association with depression and anxiety scores.
![Supporting Image: fig1.png](https://files.aievolution.com/prd/hbm2401/abstracts/abs_2543/fig1.png)
·Electrode localisation and task paradigms
Results:
Behavioural ratings showed differences in painful and non-painful pictures (p<.001, Figure 2A i). Broad frequency range induced activity was seen for the empathy for pain task with condition differences in the alpha and theta frequency range activity which was greater in the painful condition (p<.001, Figure 2A ii, iii). Crucially, alpha activity correlated with baseline anxiety (r=.51, p¬FDR<.05) and depression scores (r= .55, p¬FDR<.05) and remarkably also predicted reduction in anxiety symptoms at 3-month follow up (r= .53, p¬FDR<.05). Behavioural ratings showed differences in positive and negative valence pictures (p<.011, Figure 2B i). For the affect task, early theta range (0-250 ms) activity was significantly greater for negative pictures (p<.001, Figure 2B ii, iii) and which correlated with baseline anxiety (r = .50, p¬FDR<.05) and depression scores(r= .52, p¬FDR<.05).
![Supporting Image: fig2.png](https://files.aievolution.com/prd/hbm2401/abstracts/abs_2543/fig2.png)
·Behavioural ratings and task induced activity with condition differences
Conclusions:
In a unique and rare invasive neurosurgical dataset, we investigated direct neural recordings from human BNST in two task paradigms of empathy for pain and affect picture viewing. We characterised the spectral dynamics of task-evoked activity demonstrating condition differences in the theta-alpha frequency range. Specifically, late alpha and theta activity in the empathy for pain paradigm was increased in the painful condition whilst greater early onset theta activity differentiated the negative stimuli from positive stimuli. Finally, alpha activity for empathy for the pain paradigm and theta for the affect paradigm were correlated with anxiety and depression severity with the alpha activity for empathy predicting anxiety outcomes at 3-month follow-up. Our study thus adds important informative knowledge about the functional and clinical significance of BNST essential for translational research in DBS field. These spectral characteristics can be targeted as a potential biomarker for depression and anxiety severity and predictors of therapeutic outcome.
Brain Stimulation:
Deep Brain Stimulation 2
Disorders of the Nervous System:
Psychiatric (eg. Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia)
Emotion, Motivation and Social Neuroscience:
Emotional Perception 1
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
Imaging Methods Other
Physiology, Metabolism and Neurotransmission :
Neurophysiology of Imaging Signals
Keywords:
Affective Disorders
Anxiety
ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY
Emotions
Psychiatric Disorders
Other - local field potentials, DBS
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
Provide references using author date format
1) Fox, A. S. and A. J. Shackman (2019). "The central extended amygdala in fear and anxiety: Closing the gap between mechanistic and neuroimaging research." Neuroscience letters 693: 58-67.
2) Lee, Y. and M. Davis (1997). "Role of the hippocampus, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and the amygdala in the excitatory effect of corticotropin-releasing hormone on the acoustic startle reflex." Journal of neuroscience 17(16): 6434-6446
3) Vekaria, K. M., K. O'Connell, S. A. Rhoads, K. M. Brethel-Haurwitz, E. M. Cardinale, E. L. Robertson, B. Walitt, J. W. VanMeter and A. A. Marsh (2020). "Activation in bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) corresponds to everyday helping." Cortex 127: 67-77
4) Lozano, A. M., N. Lipsman, H. Bergman, P. Brown, S. Chabardes, J. W. Chang, K. Matthews, C. C. McIntyre, T. E. Schlaepfer and M. Schulder (2019). "Deep brain stimulation: current challenges and future directions." Nature Reviews Neurology 15(3): 148-160