Validating Brain Volume as a Biomarker for Depression Across Asian and European Cohorts
Poster No:
384
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Mikhail Votinov1,2, Han-Gue Jo3, Ute Habel1,2
Institutions:
1Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany, 2Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany, 3Kunsan National University, Department of AI Convergence, Gunsan, South Korea
First Author:
Mikhail Votinov
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM 10), Research Center Jülich|Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH Aachen University
Jülich, Germany|Aachen, Germany
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM 10), Research Center Jülich|Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH Aachen University
Jülich, Germany|Aachen, Germany
Co-Author(s):
Ute Habel
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM 10), Research Center Jülich|Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH Aachen University
Jülich, Germany|Aachen, Germany
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM 10), Research Center Jülich|Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH Aachen University
Jülich, Germany|Aachen, Germany
Introduction:
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a complex psychiatric condition characterized by persistent low mood and cognitive dysfunction [1]. Neuroimaging studies have implicated structural brain alterations in MDD, particularly in regions involved in emotion regulation and cognitive processing. However, inconsistencies exist across studies, possibly due to population differences. This study has two main objectives: 1) to identify regional brain volume differences between MDD patients and healthy controls (HC) in Asian populations and attempt to replicate these findings in a European dataset; and 2) to identify common and distinct regional brain volume differences between MDD patients and HC in European and Asian populations.
Methods:
MRI data for the Asian cohort (MDD = 255; HC = 791) were obtained from the SRPBS dataset [2], and European cohort data (MDD = 106; HC = 52) came from our dataset and public sources [3, 4]. Structural MRI data were processed using the CAT12 toolbox with the Neuromorphometric Atlas. To account for demographic differences, two approaches were used: (1) independent analyses within the Asian cohort, followed by replication in the European cohort; and (2) matched comparisons, pairing Asian and European MDD subjects by age and gender, with pooled HC data as reference. ANCOVA analyses were performed with diagnosis as the independent variable and age, sex, intracranial volume, and site as covariates. False Discovery Rate correction addressed multiple comparisons, and permutation tests (10,000 iterations) validated findings across datasets.
Results:
In the first approach, while the Asian cohort yielded a greater number of significant ROIs overall, several findings were successfully replicated in the European cohort. The common significant ROIs across both cohorts included the left Frontal Operculum (FO), the left and right Central Operculum (CO), the left Anterior Insula, and the right Supramarginal Gyrus (SMG), see fig. 1 (top). Among these, the left FO and both left and right CO were significant in both cohorts and survived FDR correction in the Asian cohort. The left AIns and right SMG showed uncorrected significance in both cohorts but did not survive FDR correction. However, permutation testing confirmed the robustness of the observed p-values for these findings. In the second approach, slightly different common ROIs were identified. The left and right CO remained stable across both cohorts, while the right Hippocampus also emerged as a common significant ROI, surviving FDR correction for both sets. Additionally, the left and right Temporal Pole and the left Gyrus Rectus were identified as significant ROIs, see fig. 1 (bottom). Permutation testing further validated the robustness of the observed p-values for these results.
·Overlap of ROIs Between European and Asian Populations
Conclusions:
The identified regions are critical components of neural networks involved in emotion regulation, cognitive functioning, and social interaction. Structural alterations in these areas may underlie core symptoms of depression, such as persistent sadness, anhedonia, and social withdrawal. The consistent presence of the left and right central operculum across both analytical approaches highlights their potential as universal biomarkers for MDD. The larger datasets available in Asia provided greater statistical power, while differences between independent and matched analyses influenced consistency across populations. Despite efforts at harmonization, subtle cross-population differences persisted, emphasizing the need for carefully designed studies to uncover both shared and population-specific neural markers of MDD.
Disorders of the Nervous System:
Psychiatric (eg. Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia) 1
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
Anatomical MRI 2
Keywords:
Data analysis
Open Data
Psychiatric Disorders
STRUCTURAL MRI
Other - depression
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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[2] Tanaka, S.C., Yamashita, A., Yahata, N., Itahashi, T., Lisi, G., Yamada, T., ... & Imamizu, H. (2021). A multi-site, multi-disorder resting-state magnetic resonance image database. Scientific Data, 8(1), 227.
[3] Loeffler, L.A.K., Satterthwaite, T.D., Habel, U., Schneider, F., Radke, S., & Derntl, B. (2019). Attention control and its emotion-specific association with cognitive emotion regulation in depression. Brain Imaging and Behavior, 13, 1766–1779.
[4] Bezmaternykh, D.D., Melnikov, M.Y., Savelov, A.A., Kozlova, L.I., Petrovskiy, E.D., Natarova, K.A., & Shtark, M.B. (2021). Brain networks connectivity in mild to moderate depression: resting state fMRI study with implications to nonpharmacological treatment. Neural Plasticity, 2021(1), 8846097.