Regional Parieto-occipital Hypoperfusion on Arterial Spin Labeling Associates with Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract

Background: Reduced cerebral blood flow in parieto-occipital regions has been reported in neurodegenerative disorders using ASL. We aimed to investigate neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative comorbidities that may associate with parieto-occipital region hypoperfusion. Methods: This was a retrospective single-center study. Between March 2017 to May 2018, adult patients who underwent brain MRI with the inclusion of ASL perfusion and who had bilateral reductions of CBF in the parieto-occipital regions were included. ASL was performed using a pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) technique on 1.5T MR system. Age and gender-matched patients with no perfusion defect were concurrently collected. Comorbidity data was collected from EMR, including major depressive disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Schizophrenia, anxiety disorder, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, coronary artery disease, and chronic kidney disease. A Pearson’s Chi-Square test was performed to assess for comorbidities associated with hypoperfusion of the parieto-occipital lobes. Results: Our patient cohort consisted of 93 patients with bilateral hypoperfusion in the parieto-occipital lobes and 93 age and gender-matched patients without corresponding perfusion defects based on ASL-CBF. Among the comorbidities assessed, there was a statistically significant association between hypoperfusion of the parieto-occipital lobes and major depressive disorder (p=0.004) and Parkinson’s disease (p=0.044). There was no statistically significant association for Alzheimer’s disease, generalized anxiety disorder, diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, coronary artery disease, or chronic kidney disease. Conclusion: Major depressive disorder may be linked to regional parieto-occipital hypoperfusion on ASL.

Regional Genetic Architecture of the Corpus Callosum and its Overlap with Psychiatric and Substance Use Phenotypes

“…However, a notable exception emerges in the case of MDD, where there is almost complete genetic overlap with this region. Tracts originating from the mid-posterior subregion terminate in the occipital lobe, which has been consistently implicated in individuals with MDD (Kihira et al, 2020; Maciąg et al, 2010; Song et al, 2021). It is possible that changes in the connectivity or integrity of this subregion could contribute to the differences noted in the occipital lobe in individuals with MDD and could underlie some of the visual processing deficits and altered neurochemistry noted in the disorder.…”