Altered gray matter volumes and plasma IL-6 level in major depressive disorder patients with suicidal ideation

Yingrui Guo; Xiaowei Jiang; Linna Jia; Yue Zhu; Xinyu Han; Yifan Wu; Wen Liu; Wenhui Zhao; Huaqian Zhu; Dahai Wang; Zhaoyuan Tu; Yifang Zhou; Qikun Sun; Lingtao Kong; Feng Wu; Yanqing Tang

doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103403

Altered gray matter volumes and plasma IL-6 level in major depressive disorder patients with suicidal ideation

Neuroimage Clin. 2023:38:103403. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103403. Epub 2023 Apr 11.

Authors

Yingrui Guo¹, Xiaowei Jiang², Linna Jia¹, Yue Zhu¹, Xinyu Han¹, Yifan Wu¹, Wen Liu¹, Wenhui Zhao¹, Huaqian Zhu¹, Dahai Wang¹, Zhaoyuan Tu¹, Yifang Zhou¹, Qikun Sun³, Lingtao Kong¹, Feng Wu¹, Yanqing Tang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China; Brain Function Research Section, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
² Brain Function Research Section, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China; Department of Radiology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
³ Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China; Department of Geriatric Medicine, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China. Electronic address: tangyanqing@cmu.edu.cn.

Abstract

Backgrounds: Suicidal ideation (SI) is one of the most serious consequences of major depressive disorder (MDD). Understanding the unique mechanism of MDD with SI (MDD + S) is crucial for treatment development. While abundant research has studied MDD, past studies have not reached a consensus on the mechanism of MDD + S. The study aimed to investigate the abnormalities of the gray matter volumes (GMVs) and plasma IL-6 level in MDD + S to further reveal the mechanism of MDD + S.

Methods: We tested the plasma IL-6 level using Luminex multifactor assays and collected the Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (SMRI) data from 34 healthy controls (HCs), 36 MDD patients without SI (MDD - S) and 34 MDD + S patients. We performed a partial correlation between the GMVs of the brain regions with significant differences and plasma IL-6 level with age, sex, medication, scores of HAMD-17 and HAMA as the covariates.

Results: Compared with HCs and MDD - S, MDD + S had significantly decreased GMVs in the left cerebellum Crus I/II and significantly increased plasma IL-6 level; compared with HCs, both the MDD + S and MDD - S had significantly decreased GMVs in right precentral and postcentral gyri. No significant correlation was found between the GMVs and the plasma IL-6 level in the MDD + S and MDD - S, respectively. While the GMVs of the right precentral and postcentral gyri negatively correlated with the level of IL-6 in the whole MDD (r = -0.28, P = 0.03). The GMVs of the left cerebellum Crus I/II (r = -0.47, P = 0.02), and the right precentral and postcentral gyri (r = -0.42, P = 0.04) negatively correlated with the level of IL-6 in HCs.

Conclusion: The altered GMVs and the plasma IL-6 level may provide a scientific basis to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms of MDD + S.

Keywords: Gray matter volumes; IL-6; Major depressive disorder; Suicidal ideation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Brain
Depressive Disorder, Major*
Gray Matter* / pathology
Humans
Interleukin-6
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Suicidal Ideation

Substances

Interleukin-6