Scholarlink

Background <p>Symptoms of fatigue, depression or anxiety are frequent in Crohn’s Disease (CD) and may relate to disturbed brain-gut interactions. While more prevalent in active disease, these symptoms are also experienced by many individuals with CD during remission. Little is known about neural networks underlying such extraintestinal symptoms in CD and their relationship with the current disease state. Using a data fusion approach for functional MRI, this study investigated spatiotemporal markers of resting-state brain activity and associations with neurotransmitter systems and symptoms of fatigue, depression or anxiety in an active disease state or remission.</p> Methods <p>We examined <i>n</i> = 71 patients with CD in an active disease state (aCD; <i>n</i> = 47) or in remission (rCD; <i>n</i> = 24) and healthy controls (HC; <i>n</i> = 35). All participants underwent resting-state fMRI, completed symptom assessments for fatigue, depression and anxiety, and provided stool samples for analysis of faecal calprotectin (fCal; aCD and rCD only). Joint independent component analysis (jICA) of two resting-state brain activity parameters (temporal and spatial features) identified neural networks exhibiting disease-state-dependent alterations. Network connectivity strength was correlated with symptoms of fatigue, depression, and anxiety, as well as fecal calprotectin (fCal). We further explored associations of the networks with neurotransmitter receptor maps.</p> Results <p>JICA revealed three networks differentiating between disease states and/or between patients and controls. One network comprising affective orbitofrontal and temporal brain regions, exhibited reduced connectivity in active disease (HC vs. aCD: <i>p</i> = 0.003, <i>p</i><sub>FDR</sub> = 0.01; aCD vs. rCD: <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001, <i>p</i><sub>FDR</sub> &lt; 0.001) and was linked to serotonergic/dopaminergic transmission, fatigue, and fCal. Another network comprised sensorimotor brain regions and showed diminished connectivity in patients in remission (HC vs. rCD: <i>p</i> = 0.034, <i>p</i><sub>FDR</sub> = 0.06; aCD vs. rCD: <i>p</i> = 0.003, <i>p</i><sub>FDR</sub> = 0.01), correlating with depression, anxiety, and dopaminergic activity. The third network reflected the default-mode network topography and distinguished patients irrespective of disease status from controls (HC vs. aCD: <i>p</i> = 0.013, <i>p</i><sub>FDR</sub> = 0.01; HC vs. rCD: <i>p</i> = 0.037, <i>p</i><sub>FDR</sub> = 0.06), but showed no associations with symptoms.</p> Conclusions <p>Resting-state brain network connectivity in patients with CD differed between active disease and remission, and was associated with symptoms of fatigue, depression, and anxiety. Alterations in sensorimotor networks were linked to depressive and anxiety symptoms, whereas affect-related networks were associated with fatigue. These observations suggest that distinct brain networks may contribute to specific neuropsychiatric symptom clusters in Crohn’s disease and underscore the role of brain–gut axis mechanisms in these manifestations.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Brain network correlates of fatigue, depression, and anxiety in patients with Crohn’s Disease in different disease states

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月9日

查看全文
  • Anne Kerstin Thomann,
  • Mike Michael Schmitgen,
  • Jule Cara Stephan,
  • Laura-Louise Knoedler,
  • Philipp Arthur Thomann,
  • Kristina Szabo,
  • Matthias Philip Ebert,
  • Wolfgang Reindl,
  • Robert Christian Wolf

摘要

Background

Symptoms of fatigue, depression or anxiety are frequent in Crohn’s Disease (CD) and may relate to disturbed brain-gut interactions. While more prevalent in active disease, these symptoms are also experienced by many individuals with CD during remission. Little is known about neural networks underlying such extraintestinal symptoms in CD and their relationship with the current disease state. Using a data fusion approach for functional MRI, this study investigated spatiotemporal markers of resting-state brain activity and associations with neurotransmitter systems and symptoms of fatigue, depression or anxiety in an active disease state or remission.

Methods

We examined n = 71 patients with CD in an active disease state (aCD; n = 47) or in remission (rCD; n = 24) and healthy controls (HC; n = 35). All participants underwent resting-state fMRI, completed symptom assessments for fatigue, depression and anxiety, and provided stool samples for analysis of faecal calprotectin (fCal; aCD and rCD only). Joint independent component analysis (jICA) of two resting-state brain activity parameters (temporal and spatial features) identified neural networks exhibiting disease-state-dependent alterations. Network connectivity strength was correlated with symptoms of fatigue, depression, and anxiety, as well as fecal calprotectin (fCal). We further explored associations of the networks with neurotransmitter receptor maps.

Results

JICA revealed three networks differentiating between disease states and/or between patients and controls. One network comprising affective orbitofrontal and temporal brain regions, exhibited reduced connectivity in active disease (HC vs. aCD: p = 0.003, pFDR = 0.01; aCD vs. rCD: p < 0.001, pFDR < 0.001) and was linked to serotonergic/dopaminergic transmission, fatigue, and fCal. Another network comprised sensorimotor brain regions and showed diminished connectivity in patients in remission (HC vs. rCD: p = 0.034, pFDR = 0.06; aCD vs. rCD: p = 0.003, pFDR = 0.01), correlating with depression, anxiety, and dopaminergic activity. The third network reflected the default-mode network topography and distinguished patients irrespective of disease status from controls (HC vs. aCD: p = 0.013, pFDR = 0.01; HC vs. rCD: p = 0.037, pFDR = 0.06), but showed no associations with symptoms.

Conclusions

Resting-state brain network connectivity in patients with CD differed between active disease and remission, and was associated with symptoms of fatigue, depression, and anxiety. Alterations in sensorimotor networks were linked to depressive and anxiety symptoms, whereas affect-related networks were associated with fatigue. These observations suggest that distinct brain networks may contribute to specific neuropsychiatric symptom clusters in Crohn’s disease and underscore the role of brain–gut axis mechanisms in these manifestations.

Graphical Abstract