Cerebral anatomical changes in female asthma patients with and without depression compared to healthy controls and patients with depression

Abstract

Background: Population-based studies have demonstrated that asthma patients with depression symptoms are more likely to have poor asthma control and worse asthma outcomes. However, the underlying mechanism of the relationship between asthma and depression is still unclear. The present study aimed to examine the cerebral anatomical changes in female asthma patients with and without depression. Methods: Using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a voxel-based morphometry technique, the primary effects of and the interaction between asthma and depression were analyzed. The cerebral gray matter volume (GMV) was compared between the groups. Correlation analyses between the GMV value of the brain regions and the clinical parameters were completed. Results: The interaction effect of asthma and depression was found on the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) and the left middle temporal gyrus. Patients with both asthma and depression showed less GMV in the right STG, the bilateral precuneus, and the right superior frontal gyrus compared to patients with asthma only. The GMV of the right STG showed a decrement form among the asthma only group, healthy controls and asthma plus depression group. In patients with asthma and depression, the volume of the right STG was positively correlated with PD₂₀ (r = 0.714, p = 0.047) and negatively correlated with the nocturnal awakening score in the Asthma Control Test (r = −0.061, p = 0.038). Conclusion: Current findings provided convergent evidence to support the critical role of the right STG in the brain mechanism that mediates asthma and depression.

• Asthma
• cerebral anatomy
• depression
• structural magnetic resonance imaging
• voxel-based morphometry

Acknowledgements

We thank Xun Yang who kindly provided the data necessary for our analysis and Hongru Zhu who assisted with the MRI scan.