BMC Psychiatry (Aug 2022)

Peripheral Interleukin-18 is negatively correlated with abnormal brain activity in patients with depression: a resting-state fMRI study

  • Xiangdong Du,
  • Siyun Zou,
  • Yan Yue,
  • Xiaojia Fang,
  • Yuxuan Wu,
  • Siqi Wu,
  • Haitao Wang,
  • Zhe Li,
  • Xueli Zhao,
  • Ming Yin,
  • Gang Ye,
  • Hongyan Sun,
  • Xiaochu Gu,
  • Xiaobin Zhang,
  • Zhigang Miao,
  • Jeff Wang Jin,
  • Hanjing Emily Wu,
  • Yansong Liu,
  • Xingshun Xu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04176-8
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Abstract Background Interleukin-18 (IL-18) may participate in the development of major depressive disorder, but the specific mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to explore whether IL-18 correlates with areas of the brain associated with depression. Methods Using a case–control design, 68 subjects (34 patients and 34 healthy controls) underwent clinical assessment, blood sampling, and resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The total Hamilton depression-17 (HAMD-17) score was used to assess depression severity. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect IL-18 levels. Rest-state fMRI was conducted to explore spontaneous brain activity. Results The level of IL-18 was higher in patients with depression in comparison with healthy controls. IL-18 was negatively correlated with degree centrality of the left posterior cingulate gyrus in the depression patient group, but no correlation was found in the healthy control group. Conclusion This study suggests the involvement of IL-18 in the pathophysiological mechanism for depression and interference with brain activity.

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