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A preliminary structural MRI study of neurological soft signs in patients with major depression

Qing Zhao1, 2, Jia Huang1, Ya Wang1, David Shum3 and Raymond Chan1*
  • 1 Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
  • 2 Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
  • 3 Behavioural Basis of Health Research Program, Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Australia

Background: Neurological soft signs (NSS) are conventionally considered as neurological abnormalities without localized brain regions [1, 2]. However, some recent brain imaging studies suggest that NSS are partly localizable and may be associated with a specific brain network: “cerebello-thalamo-prefrontal” [3]. However, most of these results were generated from studies in schizophrenia, and very little is known whether similar neural substrates would also be demonstrated in patients with major depression.
Method: Nineteen patients with major depression and 30 healthy controls took part in the current study. Three NSS subscales (viz., motor-coordination, sensory-integration, and disinhibition) of the Cambridge Neurological Inventory (CNI) [4] were administered to all participants. Whole brain anatomical magnetic resonance images (MRI) were acquired on a 3T MR system and analyzed using the voxel-based morphometry (VBM) method.
Results: No significant group difference was found for the behavioral NSS scores. In patients with major depression, white matter volume of the left middle temporal gyrus was found to correlate negatively with the sensory-integration sub-score (p-FDR=0.025, Z=4.44). In the healthy controls, white matter volume of the left inferior occipital gyrus was found to correlate positively with the motor-coordination sub-score (p-FDR=0.022, Z=4.42).
Conclusion: The preliminary findings of this study suggest that the neural substrates of NSS in patients with major depression and healthy controls were not identical. Moreover, results from these two groups did not correspond with the “cerebello-thalamo-prefrontal” network found in patients with schizophrenia. Together, these findings suggest that the neuro-mechanism of NSS may be different and specific in different clinical groups.

References

[1] Buchanan RW, Heinrichs DW. The Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES): a structured instrument for the assessment of neurological signs in schizophrenia [J]. Psychiatry Research, 1989, 27(3): 335-350.
[2] Heinrichs DW, Buchanan RW. Significance and meaning of neurological signs in schizophrenia [J]. The American journal of psychiatry, 1988, 145(1): 11-18.
[3] Mouchet-Mages S, Rodrigo S, Cachia A, et al. Correlations of cerebello-thalamo-prefrontal structure and neurological soft signs in patients with first-episode psychosis [J]. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2011, 123(6): 451-458.
[4] Chen EYH, Shapleske J, Luque R, et al. The Cambridge Neurological Inventory: a clinical instrument for assessment of soft neurological signs in psychiatric patients [J]. Psychiatry Research, 1995, 56(2): 183-204.

Keywords: neurological soft signs, major depression, the Cambridge Neurological Inventory, structural magnetic resonance imaging, voxel-based morphometry

Conference: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 29 Nov - 2 Dec, 2012.

Presentation Type: Poster Presentation

Topic: Other

Citation: Zhao Q, Huang J, Wang Y, Shum D and Chan R (2012). A preliminary structural MRI study of neurological soft signs in patients with major depression. Conference Abstract: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2012.208.00197

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Received: 09 Oct 2012; Published Online: 23 Nov 2012.

* Correspondence: Prof. Raymond Chan, Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, rckchan@psych.ac.cn