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Bajaj S, Blair KS, Dobbertin M, Patil KR, Tyler PM, Ringle JL, Bashford-Largo J, Mathur A, Elowsky J, Dominguez A, Schmaal L, Blair RJR. Machine learning based identification of structural brain alterations underlying suicide risk in adolescents. DISCOVER MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 3:6. [PMID: 37861863 PMCID: PMC10501026 DOI: 10.1007/s44192-023-00033-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for individuals between 15 and 19 years of age. The high suicide mortality rate and limited prior success in identifying neuroimaging biomarkers indicate that it is crucial to improve the accuracy of clinical neural signatures underlying suicide risk. The current study implements machine-learning (ML) algorithms to examine structural brain alterations in adolescents that can discriminate individuals with suicide risk from typically developing (TD) adolescents at the individual level. Structural MRI data were collected from 79 adolescents who demonstrated clinical levels of suicide risk and 79 demographically matched TD adolescents. Region-specific cortical/subcortical volume (CV/SCV) was evaluated following whole-brain parcellation into 1000 cortical and 12 subcortical regions. CV/SCV parameters were used as inputs for feature selection and three ML algorithms (i.e., support vector machine [SVM], K-nearest neighbors, and ensemble) to classify adolescents at suicide risk from TD adolescents. The highest classification accuracy of 74.79% (with sensitivity = 75.90%, specificity = 74.07%, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 87.18%) was obtained for CV/SCV data using the SVM classifier. Identified bilateral regions that contributed to the classification mainly included reduced CV within the frontal and temporal cortices but increased volume within the cuneus/precuneus for adolescents at suicide risk relative to TD adolescents. The current data demonstrate an unbiased region-specific ML framework to effectively assess the structural biomarkers of suicide risk. Future studies with larger sample sizes and the inclusion of clinical controls and independent validation data sets are needed to confirm our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Bajaj
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA.
| | - Karina S Blair
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Kaustubh R Patil
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Patrick M Tyler
- Child and Family Translational Research Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Jay L Ringle
- Child and Family Translational Research Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA
- Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Avantika Mathur
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Ahria Dominguez
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Lianne Schmaal
- Center for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Orygen, Parkville, Australia
| | - R James R Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Dobbertin M, Blair KS, Carollo E, Blair JR, Dominguez A, Bajaj S. Neuroimaging alterations of the suicidal brain and its relevance to practice: an updated review of MRI studies. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1083244. [PMID: 37181903 PMCID: PMC10174251 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1083244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. Historically, scientific inquiry has focused on psychological theory. However, more recent studies have started to shed light on complex biosignatures using MRI techniques, including task-based and resting-state functional MRI, brain morphometry, and diffusion tensor imaging. Here, we review recent research across these modalities, with a focus on participants with depression and Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior (STB). A PubMed search identified 149 articles specific to our population of study, and this was further refined to rule out more diffuse pathologies such as psychotic disorders and organic brain injury and illness. This left 69 articles which are reviewed in the current study. The collated articles reviewed point to a complex impairment showing atypical functional activation in areas associated with perception of reward, social/affective stimuli, top-down control, and reward-based learning. This is broadly supported by the atypical morphometric and diffusion-weighted alterations and, most significantly, in the network-based resting-state functional connectivity data that extrapolates network functions from well validated psychological paradigms using functional MRI analysis. We see an emerging picture of cognitive dysfunction evident in task-based and resting state fMRI and network neuroscience studies, likely preceded by structural changes best demonstrated in morphometric and diffusion-weighted studies. We propose a clinically-oriented chronology of the diathesis-stress model of suicide and link other areas of research that may be useful to the practicing clinician, while helping to advance the translational study of the neurobiology of suicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Dobbertin
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
- *Correspondence: Matthew Dobbertin,
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Program for Trauma and Anxiety in Children (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Erin Carollo
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - James R. Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ahria Dominguez
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
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Bajaj S, Raikes AC, Razi A, Miller MA, Killgore WDS. Blue-Light Therapy Strengthens Resting-State Effective Connectivity within Default-Mode Network after Mild TBI. J Cent Nerv Syst Dis 2021; 13:11795735211015076. [PMID: 34104033 PMCID: PMC8145607 DOI: 10.1177/11795735211015076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Emerging evidence suggests that post concussive symptoms, including mood changes, may be improved through morning blue-wavelength light therapy (BLT). However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these effects remain unknown. We hypothesize that BLT may influence the effective brain connectivity (EC) patterns within the default-mode network (DMN), particularly involving the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), which may contribute to improvements in mood. Methods: Resting-state functional MRI data were collected from 41 healthy-controls (HCs) and 28 individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Individuals with mTBI also underwent a diffusion-weighted imaging scan and were randomly assigned to complete either 6 weeks of daily morning BLT (N = 14) or amber light therapy (ALT; N = 14). Advanced spectral dynamic causal modeling (sDCM) and diffusion MRI connectometry were used to estimate EC patterns and structural connectivity strength within the DMN, respectively. Results: The sDCM analysis showed dominant connectivity pattern following mTBI (pre-treatment) within the hemisphere contralateral to the one observed for HCs. BLT, but not ALT, resulted in improved directional information flow (ie, EC) from the left lateral parietal cortex (LLPC) to MPFC within the DMN. The improvement in EC from LLPC to MPFC was accompanied by stronger structural connectivity between the 2 areas. For the BLT group, the observed improvements in function and structure were correlated (at a trend level) with changes in self-reported happiness. Conclusions: The current preliminary findings provide empirical evidence that morning short-wavelength light therapy could be used as a novel alternative rehabilitation technique for mTBI. Trial registry: The research protocols were registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov database (CT Identifiers NCT01747811 and NCT01721356).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Bajaj
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
- Sahil Bajaj, Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA.
| | - Adam C Raikes
- Center for Innovation in Brain Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Adeel Razi
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, and Monash Biomedical Imaging at Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- The Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Electronic Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Michael A Miller
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - William DS Killgore
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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Bajaj S, Killgore WDS. Association between emotional intelligence and effective brain connectome: A large-scale spectral DCM study. Neuroimage 2021; 229:117750. [PMID: 33454407 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a well-documented aspect of social and interpersonal functioning, but the underlying neural mechanisms for this capacity remain poorly understood. Here we used advanced brain connectivity techniques to explore the associations between EI and effective connectivity (EC) within four functional brain networks. METHODS The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) was used to collect EI data from 55 healthy individuals (mean age = 30.56±8.3 years, 26 males). The MSCEIT comprises two area cores - experiential EI (T1) and strategic EI (T2). The T1 core included two sub-scales - perception of emotions (S1) and using emotions to facilitate thinking (S2), and the T2 core included two sub-scales - understanding of emotions (S3) and management of emotions (S4). All participants underwent structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) scans. The spectral dynamic causal modeling approach was implemented to estimate EC within four networks of interest - the default-mode network (DMN), dorsal attention network (DAN), control-execution network (CEN) and salience network (SN). The strength of EC within each network was correlated with the measures of EI, with correlations at pFDR < 0.05 considered as significant. RESULTS There was no significant association between any of the measures of EI and EC strength within the DMN and DAN. For CEN, however, we found that there were significant negative associations between EC strength from the right anterior prefrontal cortex (RAPFC) to the left anterior prefrontal cortex (LAPFC) and both S2 and T1, and significant positive associations between EC strength from LAPFC to RAPFC and S2. EC strength from the right superior parietal cortex (SPC) to RAPFC also showed significant negative association with S4 and T2. For the SN, S3 showed significant negative association with EC strength from the right insula to RAPFC and significant positive association with EC strength from the left insula to dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (DACC). CONCLUSIONS We provide evidence that the negative ECs within the right hemisphere, and from the right to left hemisphere, and positive ECs within the left hemisphere and from the left to right hemisphere of CEN (involving bilateral frontal and right parietal region) and SN (involving right frontal, anterior cingulate and bilateral insula) play a significant role in regulating and processing emotions. These findings also suggest that measures of EC can be utilized as important biomarkers to better understand the underlying neural mechanisms of EI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Bajaj
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory (SCAN Lab), Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA.
| | - William D S Killgore
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory (SCAN Lab), Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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