负性注意偏向及其干预影响抑郁的神经机制

The detection and early intervention of individuals with depression vulnerability is helpful for reducing the risk of major depression and societal medical burdens. This makes individuals with depression vulnerability become to a vital research subject for understanding the depression development. Biased attention for negative information was regards as both cognitive characteristic and vulnerability factors for depression, which makes it to be the target for early detection and intervention of major depression. However, previous studies mainly explored negatively attentional bias as cognitive characteristic rather cognitive vulnerability factors for major depression, not mention its neural substrates. In addition, the neural changes associated with attentional bias modification intervention among individuals with depression vulnerability still unknown. In the present project, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and pattern recognition analysis were used to investigate these questions. The project mainly includes: 1) exploring the neural basis of negative attentional bias and its prediction of depression severity from the perspective individual differences; 2) investigating the neural changes underlying response to attentional bias modification intervention among individuals with depression vulnerability; 3) examining the neural biomarkers that predict treatment response of individuals with depression vulnerability. Based on these three studies, we can get more deep understanding for the psychopathological mechanism of depression development and occurrence, in the meanwhile, providing practical foundation for early detection and effective intervention for major depression.

抑郁易感个体的早期识别和干预有助于降低抑郁症发作风险和社会医疗负担，已成为探讨抑郁发展进程的重要研究对象。负性注意偏向既是抑郁症患者和抑郁易感个体的主要认知特征，也是导致抑郁发生发展的认知易感因子，使其成为抑郁症早期识别和干预的目标。但目前，多数研究将负性注意偏向作为抑郁的认知特征而非认知易感因子进行探讨，更不清楚其影响抑郁的神经机制；此外，注意偏向干预训练影响抑郁易感个体的神经机制也不清楚。本项目拟利用功能磁共振成像和多变量模式分析技术对以上问题进行探讨。研究内容包括：1）从个体差异角度，揭示负性注意偏向作为认知易感因子的神经基础及其影响抑郁的作用机制；2）揭示注意偏向干预训练影响抑郁易感个体抑郁改善的神经机制；3）揭示注意偏向干预有效性的神经生物标记。通过上述研究，为揭示抑郁发生发展的心理病理机制提供科学依据，为抑郁症早期识别和有效的预防干预提供实证依据。

负性注意偏向被认为既是抑郁症患者和抑郁易感个体的主要的认知特征，同时也被认为是导致抑郁发生发展的认知易感因子。以往研究多从认知加工角度，探讨了抑郁症患者或抑郁易感个体负性注意偏向加工时的认知及其神经机制，很少将负性注意偏向作为抑郁发生发展的认知易感因子来进行探讨，更不清楚其影响抑郁的内在机制；此外，对负性注意偏向的干预训练如何影响抑郁易感个体的抑郁程度的神经机制也不清楚。本项目主要从个体差异的角度揭示负性注意偏向的神经基础及其影响抑郁的作用机制，同时考察负性注意偏向干预训练影响抑郁易感个体抑郁改善的神经机制。研究一从个体差异角度发现负性情绪注意偏向个体差异与额下回及背外侧前额叶皮层灰质体积具有显著负相关，与左侧眶额叶皮层ALFF值具有显著正相关，负性注意偏向个体差异与额下回和前扣带回的功能连接强度具有显著正相关，且背外侧前额叶的灰质体积能够显著预测个体抑郁程度；研究二采用注意偏向调整训练任务对抑郁倾向个体进行干预训练，结果发现训练任务能显著的改善阈下抑郁个体的负性注意偏向及其抑郁程度，同时训练后阈下抑郁个体在负性注意偏向加工时双侧额下回激活强度显著增高，并与抑郁程度变换具有显著相关。研究结果有助于理解负性注意偏向作为抑郁易感因子在抑郁发生发展中的作用，并为负性注意偏向干预任务的有效性及其作用机制提供了理论上的证据，也为进一步的临床应用提供参考。