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Functional Connectivity Patterns and the Role of 5-HTTLPR Polymorphism on Network Architecture in Female Patients With Anorexia Nervosa.

ABSTRACT: Introduction:Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that anorexia nervosa (AN) symptoms emerge from failures in the relationships between spatially distributed networks that support different cognitive, emotional, and somatosensory functions. The 5-HTTLPR genotype has been shown to modulate all these abilities in AN, as well as the connectivity patterns between brain regions that support their functioning. This study aims at exploring the presence of any difference in functional connectome properties between AN patients and healthy controls (HC) by means of graph theory tools. The effect of 5-HTTLPR genotype on regional and global network characteristics in AN and HC was also explored. Methods:A sample of 74 subjects (38 HC, 36 AN) underwent a resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging and was genotyped for 5-HTTLPR polymorphism. Comparisons of network properties were made between the AN and HC groups and, within each group, between 5-HTTLPR carriers of low-functioning alleles and carriers of the long-long genotype. Results:Patients with AN displayed lower network clustering than HC (p = 0.04 at Mann-Whitney U test). Based on both degree and betweenness, a different distribution of network hubs emerged in the two groups. In particular, the anterior part of the anterior cingulate cortex was a hub only in the patient group. A correlation emerged between differences in brain volumes between patients and HC and differences in degree values of basal ganglia, nodes in the insula, and those in the parietal cortex. Carriers of the short allele of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism were characterized by lower small-world properties (p = 0.027) and modularity (p = 0.031) in the patient group, and a trend toward higher modularity (p = 0.033) and small-world values (p = 0.123) in the HC group. Discussion:Patients with AN showed differences in hubs distribution, providing evidence of the presence of a different functional architectural backbone in this group. Since some correlation emerged between different degree values of nodes and differences in volumes, further longitudinal studies are warranted to better understand the role of malnutrition on brain network architecture. The opposite effects of 5-HTTLPR polymorphism on global network characteristics in the two groups suggest an interaction of the short allele and malnutrition in modulating brain network properties.

SUBMITTER: Collantoni E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6802575 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Functional Connectivity Patterns and the Role of 5-HTTLPR Polymorphism on Network Architecture in Female Patients With Anorexia Nervosa.

Collantoni Enrico E Meneguzzo Paolo P Solmi Marco M Tenconi Elena E Manara Renzo R Favaro Angela A

Frontiers in neuroscience 20191014

<h4>Introduction</h4>Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that anorexia nervosa (AN) symptoms emerge from failures in the relationships between spatially distributed networks that support different cognitive, emotional, and somatosensory functions. The 5-HTTLPR genotype has been shown to modulate all these abilities in AN, as well as the connectivity patterns between brain regions that support their functioning. This study aims at exploring the presence of any difference in functional connectome ...[more]

PMID: 31680805

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Project description:IntroductionFunctional networks develop throughout adolescence when anorexia nervosa (AN) normally debuts. In AN, cerebral structural alterations are found in most brain regions and may be related to the observed functional brain changes. Few studies have investigated the functional networks of the brain in adolescent AN patients.. The aim of this explorative study was to investigate multiple functional networks in adolescent AN patients compared to healthy age-matched controls (HC) and the relationship with age, eating disorder symptoms and structural alterations.MethodsIncluded were 29 female inpatients with restrictive AN, and 27 HC. All participants were between the ages of 12 to 18 years. Independent component analysis (ICA) identified 21 functional networks that were analyzed with multivariate and univariate analyses of components and group affiliation (AN vs HC). Age, age × group interaction and AN symptoms were included as covariates. Follow-up correlational analyses of selected components and structural measures (cortical thickness and subcortical volume) were carried out.ResultsDecreased functional connectivity (FC) in AN patients was found in one cortical network, involving mainly the precuneus, and identified as a default mode network (DMN). Cortical thickness in the precuneus was significantly correlated with functional connectivity in this network. Significant group differences were also found in two subcortical networks involving mainly the hippocampus and the amygdala respectively, and a significant interaction effect of age and group was found in both these networks. There were no significant associations between FC and the clinical measures used in the study.ConclusionThe findings from the present study may imply that functional alterations are related to structural alterations in selected regions and that the restricted food intake in AN patients disrupt normal age-related development of functional networks involving the amygdala and hippocampus.

Dataset Information

Functional Connectivity Patterns and the Role of 5-HTTLPR Polymorphism on Network Architecture in Female Patients With Anorexia Nervosa.

Publications

Functional Connectivity Patterns and the Role of 5-HTTLPR Polymorphism on Network Architecture in Female Patients With Anorexia Nervosa.

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