Neuroimaging of risk factors of depression and cardiovascular disease

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been evidenced to be interconnected by a bidirectional link since MDD increases the risk of developing CVD and vice versa. However, the biological underpinnings of this relationship are poorly understood up to now. Thus, neuroimaging of shared risk factors of both disorders might shed more light on possible neurobiological implications and help to gain a broader understanding of the mechanisms behind this important clinical connection. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest a predominant involvement of alterations in neural networks of emotion regulation and reward processing in CVD, MDD, and their common risk factors. Moreover, there is evidence that functional and structural brain changes are closely related to inflammatory processes in the development of CVD and MDD. Since these alterations in brain structure and function are yet apparent in subjects at high risk but before the onset of clinically manifest disease and given the observed reversibility of these neural aberrations, neuroimaging findings point to the crucial role of preventive measures in the therapy of both disorders. Especially, therapeutic interventions at an early stage in high-risk populations should be reevaluated in the prevention of both disorders. Future research should focus on the close link between inflammatory and neural processes to provide the neurobiological basis for integrated treatment options for CVD and MDD.