2025/09/19 by Boadie W. Dunlop, Jungho Cha, Helen S. Mayberg +6 · 1 voice
Medicine · Neuroscience · #Drug Transport and Resistance Mechanisms #Functional Brain Connectivity Studies #Tryptophan and brain disorders
paper · doi:10.1176/appi.neuropsych.20240222
openalex publication_date 2025/09/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
OBJECTIVE: Bile acids may contribute to pathophysiological markers of neuropsychiatric disorders, including disruptions of the executive control network (ECN) and the default mode network (DMN). Cognitive dysfunction is common in major depressive disorder; the authors examined whether bile acids affect these networks among patients with depression. METHODS: Resting-state functional MRI scans and blood levels of four bile acids from 74 treatment-naïve adults with major depressive disorder were analyzed. Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) seeds were used to examine connectivity of the ECN, and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) seeds were used to examine DMN connectivity. Using a whole-brain analysis, the authors examined correlations between the functional connectivity of these seeds and serum levels of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) and its bacterially derived secondary bile acid, lithocholic acid (LCA). RESULTS: >0.250, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between LCA and CDCA levels and functional connectivity of the ECN and DMN suggests that major depressive disorder shares pathophysiological processes with other neuropsychiatric disorders.