1
|
Bertollo AG, Galvan ACL, Dallagnol C, Cortez AD, Ignácio ZM. Early Life Stress and Major Depressive Disorder-An Update on Molecular Mechanisms and Synaptic Impairments. Mol Neurobiol 2024; 61:6469-6483. [PMID: 38307968 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-024-03983-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS), characterized as abuse, neglect, and abandonment, can cause several adverse consequences in the lives of affected individuals. ELS experiences can affect an individual's development in variable ways, persisting in the long term and promoting lasting impacts, considering that early exposure to stressors can be biologically incorporated, as prolonged stimulation of stress response systems affects the development of the brain structure and other body systems, increasing the risk of diseases associated with stress and cognitive impairment. This type of stress increases the risk of developing major depressive disorder (MDD) in a severe form that does not respond adequately to traditional antidepressant treatments. Several alterations are studied as mechanisms that relate ELS with MDD, such as epigenetic alterations, neurotransmitters, and neuronal signaling. This review discusses research that brings evidence about the ELS mechanisms involved in synaptic impairments and MDD. The processes involved in epigenetic changes and the HPA axis are highlighted, as well as changes in neurotransmitters and neuronal signaling mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Gollo Bertollo
- Laboratory of Physiology Pharmacology and Psychopathology, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Chapecó, SC, 89815-899, Brazil
| | - Agatha Carina Leite Galvan
- Laboratory of Physiology Pharmacology and Psychopathology, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Chapecó, SC, 89815-899, Brazil
| | - Claudia Dallagnol
- Laboratory of Physiology Pharmacology and Psychopathology, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Chapecó, SC, 89815-899, Brazil
| | - Arthur Dellazeri Cortez
- Laboratory of Physiology Pharmacology and Psychopathology, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Chapecó, SC, 89815-899, Brazil
| | - Zuleide Maria Ignácio
- Laboratory of Physiology Pharmacology and Psychopathology, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Chapecó, SC, 89815-899, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Teng CL, Cong L, Wang W, Cheng S, Wu M, Dang WT, Jia M, Ma J, Xu J, Hu WD. Disrupted properties of functional brain networks in major depressive disorder during emotional face recognition: an EEG study via graph theory analysis. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1338765. [PMID: 38415279 PMCID: PMC10897049 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1338765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous neuroimaging studies have revealed abnormal brain networks in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in emotional processing. While any cognitive task consists of a series of stages, little is yet known about the topology of functional brain networks in MDD for these stages during emotional face recognition. To address this problem, electroencephalography (EEG)-based functional brain networks of MDD patients at different stages of facial information processing were investigated in this study. First, EEG signals were collected from 16 patients with MDD and 18 age-, gender-, and education-matched normal subjects when performing an emotional face recognition task. Second, the global field power (GFP) method was employed to divide group-averaged event-related potentials into different stages. Third, using the phase transfer entropy (PTE) approach, the brain networks of MDD patients and normal individuals were constructed for each stage in negative and positive face processing, respectively. Finally, we compared the topological properties of brain networks of each stage between the two groups using graph theory approaches. The results showed that the analyzed three stages of emotional face processing corresponded to specific neurophysiological phases, namely, visual perception, face recognition, and emotional decision-making. It was also demonstrated that depressed patients showed abnormally decreased characteristic path length at the visual perception stage of negative face recognition and normalized characteristic path length in the stage of emotional decision-making during positive face processing compared to healthy subjects. Furthermore, while both the MDD and normal groups' brain networks were found to exhibit small-world network characteristics, the brain network of patients with depression tended to be randomized. Moreover, for patients with MDD, the centro-parietal region may lose its status as a hub in the process of facial expression identification. Together, our findings suggested that altered emotional function in MDD patients might be associated with disruptions in the topological organization of functional brain networks during emotional face recognition, which further deepened our understanding of the emotion processing dysfunction underlying MDD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chao-Lin Teng
- Department of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Lin Cong
- Department of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shan Cheng
- Department of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Min Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Science, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wei-Tao Dang
- Department of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Min Jia
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jin Ma
- Department of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jin Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Health and Rehabilitation Science, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wen-Dong Hu
- Department of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| |
Collapse
|