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Intensity of repetitive negative thinking in depression is associated with greater functional connectivity between semantic processing and emotion regulation areas.
- Source :
- Psychological Medicine; Sep2023, Vol. 53 Issue 12, p5488-5499, 12p
- Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- Background: Repetitive negative thinking (RNT), a cognitive process that encompasses past (rumination) and future (worry) directed thoughts focusing on negative experiences and the self, is a transdiagnostic construct that is especially relevant for major depressive disorder (MDD). Severe RNT often occurs in individuals with severe levels of MDD, which makes it challenging to disambiguate the neural circuitry underlying RNT from depression severity. Methods: We used a propensity score, i.e., a conditional probability of having high RNT given observed covariates to match high and low RNT individuals who are similar in the severity of depression, anxiety, and demographic characteristics. Of 148 MDD individuals, we matched high and low RNT groups (n = 50/group) and used a data-driven whole-brain voxel-to-voxel connectivity pattern analysis to investigate the resting-state functional connectivity differences between the groups. Results: There was an association between RNT and connectivity in the bilateral superior temporal sulcus (STS), an important region for speech processing including inner speech. High relative to low RNT individuals showed greater connectivity between right STS and bilateral anterior insular cortex (AI), and between bilateral STS and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Greater connectivity in those regions was specifically related to RNT but not to depression severity. Conclusions: RNT intensity is directly related to connectivity between STS and AI/DLPFC. This might be a mechanism underlying the role of RNT in perceptive, cognitive, speech, and emotional processing. Future investigations will need to determine whether modifying these connectivities could be a treatment target to reduce RNT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- THOUGHT & thinking
SEMANTICS
DIGITAL image processing
STATISTICS
HUMAN research subjects
PESSIMISM
FUNCTIONAL connectivity
MAGNETIC resonance imaging
FISHER exact test
SEVERITY of illness index
INFORMED consent (Medical law)
T-test (Statistics)
MENTAL depression
RESEARCH funding
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
EMOTION regulation
SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC factors
ANXIETY
DATA analysis
DATA analysis software
PROBABILITY theory
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00332917
- Volume :
- 53
- Issue :
- 12
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Psychological Medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 171833729
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291722002677