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| Hauptseite > Publikationsdatenbank > Analyse der Auswirkungen von Alterung, Neurodegeneration und Depression auf die mittels Magnetresonanztomographie gemessene Hirnfunktion |
| Hauptseite > Publikationsdatenbank > Analyse der Auswirkungen von Alterung, Neurodegeneration und Depression auf die mittels Magnetresonanztomographie gemessene Hirnfunktion |
| Dissertation / PhD Thesis | FZJ-2025-01716 |
2024
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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.34734/FZJ-2025-01716
Abstract: In recent decades, the scientific community has made progress in mapping the functionalorganization of the human brain. Functional alterations in the typical aging process and in severalneurodegenerative diseases, as well as their pathological pathways, have been identified. However,many underlying (patho-)mechanisms remain unclear, the knowledge of which could pave the wayfor new diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutical targets. Multimodal associations, such as spatialcorrelations (co-localizations) between neurochemical properties and alterations in brain function orstructure, provide insights into biological entities that may be particularly affected by the agingprocess or related neurological diseases. Additionally, such associations themselves could serve asdiagnostic or prognostic biomarkers for brain diseases. In contrast to neurological diseases, theeffects of psychiatric diseases such as depression on the functional organization of the brain have notyet been conclusively clarified, which is partly due to the heterogeneity of the clinical picture. Withthe help of large data sets, this obstacle could be overcome and changes in the brain could be mappedin a level of detail that has not yet been achieved in studies with smaller sample sizes. In the threestudies presented here, data from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (resting-statefMRI) were used to investigate the regional characteristics of age-related typical and pathologicalbrain alterations in people with Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and experience ofdepression. In the first two studies, the local functional alterations in the typical aging process and intwo neurodegenerative diseases were mapped. Associations of these alterations with other neuronaland clinical data provided indications of potential particularly vulnerable cells and biomarkers ofdisease severity. In the third study, we examined how various criteria of experienced depression affectbrain function and structure and identified the criteria most strongly associated with brain alterations.The results suggested specific neurochemical properties that may influence neuronal alterations indifferent conditions, aiding our understanding of the studied neurodegenerative diseases and agingprocesses, and potentially supporting the future development of new pharmacotherapies. Depressioncriteria that were identified as most strongly associated with functional changes may indicate apersistent effect of depression or its treatment on brain function and should be considered whenplanning future studies on depression.
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