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Loneliness in late-life depression: structural and functional connectivity during affective processing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2016

N. M. L. Wong ,
H.-L. Liu ,
C. Lin ,
C.-M. Huang ,
Y.-Y. Wai ,
S.-H. Lee  and
T. M. C. Lee
N. M. L. Wong
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Laboratory of Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Institute of Clinical Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
H.-L. Liu
Affiliation:
Department of Imaging Physics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA
C. Lin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung City, Taiwan
C.-M. Huang
Affiliation:
College of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
Y.-Y. Wai
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Imaging and Intervention, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
S.-H. Lee*
Affiliation:
College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taiwan Department of Psychiatry, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan
T. M. C. Lee*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Laboratory of Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Institute of Clinical Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
*
*Address for correspondence: T. M. C. Lee, Ph.D., Room 656, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The Jockey Club Tower, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong. (Email: tmclee@hku.hk) [T. M. C. Lee] (Email: shlee@cgmh.org.tw) [S. -H. Lee]
*Address for correspondence: T. M. C. Lee, Ph.D., Room 656, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The Jockey Club Tower, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong. (Email: tmclee@hku.hk) [T. M. C. Lee] (Email: shlee@cgmh.org.tw) [S. -H. Lee]
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Abstract

Background

Late-life depression (LLD) in the elderly was reported to present with emotion dysregulation accompanied by high perceived loneliness. Previous research has suggested that LLD is a disorder of connectivity and is associated with aberrant network properties. On the other hand, perceived loneliness is found to adversely affect the brain, but little is known about its neurobiological basis in LLD. The current study investigated the relationships between the structural connectivity, functional connectivity during affective processing, and perceived loneliness in LLD.

Method

The current study included 54 participants aged >60 years of whom 31 were diagnosed with LLD. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data and task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of an affective processing task were collected. Network-based statistics and graph theory techniques were applied, and the participants’ perceived loneliness and depression level were measured. The affective processing task included viewing affective stimuli.

Results

Structurally, a loneliness-related sub-network was identified across all subjects. Functionally, perceived loneliness was related to connectivity differently in LLD than that in controls when they were processing negative stimuli, with aberrant networking in subcortical area.

Conclusions

Perceived loneliness was identified to have a unique role in relation to the negative affective processing in LLD at the functional brain connectional and network levels. The findings increas our understanding of LLD and provide initial evidence of the neurobiological mechanisms of loneliness in LLD. Loneliness might be a potential intervention target in depressive patients.

Keywords

ConnectivityDTIfMRIlate-life depressionloneliness
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 46 , Issue 12 , September 2016 , pp. 2485 - 2499
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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