TY - JOUR
T1 - Altered habenula to locus coeruleus functional connectivity in past anorexia nervosa suggests correlation with suicidality
T2 - a pilot study
AU - Wills, Kristin E.
AU - Gosnell, Savannah N.
AU - Curtis, Kaylah N.
AU - Velasquez, Kenia
AU - Fowler, J. Christopher
AU - Salas, Ramiro
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the McNair Medical Institute; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (SRG-2-125-14); NARSAD (19295); the Veteran Health Administration (VHA5I01CX000994); the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2R25HL108853-06); and the National Institute of Health (NIDA DA026539, DA09167). This research was also partially supported by the Toomim Family Fund; the Menninger Clinic Foundation; The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston, Texas; and the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation. This material is the result of work supported with resources and the use of facilities at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX. The contents do not represent the views of the US Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.
Funding Information:
The authors thank the Core for Advanced MRI at Baylor College of Medicine and Dr. Charles Neblett. The authors also thank Dr. Gayle Slaughter and the Summer Medical and Research Training (SMART) program at Baylor College of Medicine for hosting Kristin E. Wills as a SMART Program participant.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, This is a U.S. government work and its text is not subject to copyright protection in the United States; however, its text may be subject to foreign copyright protection.
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/10/1
Y1 - 2020/10/1
N2 - Purpose: Despite anorexia nervosa having the highest mortality rate of mental illnesses, little is known regarding the brain mechanisms involved. Given that lack of interest for food in anorexic patients is related to alterations in the reward system, we tested the hypothesis that patients with past anorexia nervosa (pAN) have altered resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the habenula (a major component of the reward system) and its targets. Methods: RSFC between the habenula and major targets (locus coeruleus, median and dorsal raphe nuclei, substantia nigra, and ventral tegmental area) was studied in 14 psychiatric inpatients with pAN and 14 psychiatric inpatient controls (PC, never-anorexic patients in same clinic, matched for comorbidities). Next, we tested possible correlations between RSFC and suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety as determined by self-report questionnaires. Results: Left habenula/locus coeruleus RSFC was lower in pAN patients compared to PC. The left habenula/locus coeruleus RSFC was positively correlated with suicidal ideation (past 2 months) in pAN patients, but not in controls. Conclusions: pAN patients showed long lasting alterations in habenular connectivity. This may have clinical implications, possibly including future evaluation of the habenula as a therapeutic target and the need to carefully monitor suicidality in pAN patients. No level of evidence: Basic science.
AB - Purpose: Despite anorexia nervosa having the highest mortality rate of mental illnesses, little is known regarding the brain mechanisms involved. Given that lack of interest for food in anorexic patients is related to alterations in the reward system, we tested the hypothesis that patients with past anorexia nervosa (pAN) have altered resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the habenula (a major component of the reward system) and its targets. Methods: RSFC between the habenula and major targets (locus coeruleus, median and dorsal raphe nuclei, substantia nigra, and ventral tegmental area) was studied in 14 psychiatric inpatients with pAN and 14 psychiatric inpatient controls (PC, never-anorexic patients in same clinic, matched for comorbidities). Next, we tested possible correlations between RSFC and suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety as determined by self-report questionnaires. Results: Left habenula/locus coeruleus RSFC was lower in pAN patients compared to PC. The left habenula/locus coeruleus RSFC was positively correlated with suicidal ideation (past 2 months) in pAN patients, but not in controls. Conclusions: pAN patients showed long lasting alterations in habenular connectivity. This may have clinical implications, possibly including future evaluation of the habenula as a therapeutic target and the need to carefully monitor suicidality in pAN patients. No level of evidence: Basic science.
KW - Anorexia nervosa
KW - Habenula
KW - Resting state functional connectivity
KW - Reward circuitry
KW - Suicide
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85091265946&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85091265946&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s40519-019-00746-0
DO - 10.1007/s40519-019-00746-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 31376112
AN - SCOPUS:85091265946
VL - 25
SP - 1475
EP - 1480
JO - Eating and Weight Disorders
JF - Eating and Weight Disorders
SN - 1124-4909
IS - 5
ER -