Ahn Ji Seon, Hong Hye-Jin, Lee Jee Hang, Park Jin Young
Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Yongin Severance Hospital, Yonsei University Health System, 363 Dongbaekjukjeon-Daero, Giheung-Gu, Yongin, 16995, South Korea.
BMC Psychiatry. 2024 Dec 3;24(1):875. doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-06272-3.
Theta-gamma coupling (TGC) describes the modulation of gamma oscillations by the theta phasic activity, which is crucial for processes such as the ordering of information during working memory (WM) performance. The mental arithmetic (MA), which involves performing calculations with numbers, is a crucial tool for evaluating and understanding the sensory processing and management abilities of WM. Evaluating TGC may provide greater insight into the neural mechanisms mediating WM deficits in panic disorder (PD).
Medical and electroencephalography (EEG) records of psychiatric outpatient clinic between 1 March 2020 and 30 September 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 34 PD patients and 34 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent EEG to assess the overall functional interaction of the brain using multi-channel EEG analysis, focusing on specific brain regions including the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes. EEG recordings were conducted during two sessions: a 5-min eyes-closed resting-state (RS) and a subsequent 5-min eyes-closed MA. The TGC and the spectral power of the theta and gamma frequency bands, which are well known to be associated with WM, were analysed.
Compared to those in HCs, TGC and theta power were significantly attenuated in PD patients. When analysing both HCs and PD patients together, RS TGC and relative theta power were negatively correlated with state anxiety and perceived stress scores, respectively. In contrast, TGC and relative theta power during the MA condition were positively correlated with the MA performance. Specifically, in PD patients, RS theta power across all electrodes was significantly negatively correlated with the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) score. Linear regression analysis revealed that theta power in the T5 channel remained negatively correlated with pathological anxiety as measured by the HAMA score, even after controlling for other confounding factors.
This study highlights significant alterations in TGC and theta power in PD patients. PD patients exhibit reduced TGC and theta power compared to HCs, indicating deficits in the neural mechanisms underlying anxiety and/or WM in PD. These insights contribute to a better understanding of the neural basis of WM deficits in PD and suggest potential avenues for targeted therapeutic interventions.
θ-γ耦合（TGC）描述了θ相位活动对γ振荡的调制，这对于工作记忆（WM）执行过程中的信息排序等过程至关重要。心算（MA）涉及数字运算，是评估和理解WM的感觉处理和管理能力的关键工具。评估TGC可能会更深入地了解惊恐障碍（PD）中介导WM缺陷的神经机制。
回顾性分析了2020年3月1日至2023年9月30日期间精神科门诊的医学和脑电图（EEG）记录。共有34名PD患者和34名年龄及性别匹配的健康对照（HCs）接受了EEG检查，使用多通道EEG分析评估大脑的整体功能相互作用，重点关注包括额叶、颞叶、顶叶和枕叶在内的特定脑区。EEG记录在两个阶段进行：5分钟闭眼静息状态（RS）和随后的5分钟闭眼心算。分析了TGC以及已知与WM相关的θ和γ频段的频谱功率。
与HCs相比，PD患者的TGC和θ功率显著减弱。在同时分析HCs和PD患者时，静息状态下的TGC和相对θ功率分别与状态焦虑和感知压力评分呈负相关。相比之下，心算状态下的TGC和相对θ功率与心算表现呈正相关。具体而言，在PD患者中，所有电极上的静息状态θ功率与汉密尔顿焦虑量表（HAMA）评分显著负相关。线性回归分析显示，即使在控制了其他混杂因素后，T5通道的θ功率与HAMA评分所测量的病理性焦虑仍呈负相关。
本研究突出了PD患者TGC和θ功率的显著改变。与HCs相比，PD患者的TGC和θ功率降低，表明PD中焦虑和/或WM潜在神经机制存在缺陷。这些见解有助于更好地理解PD中WM缺陷的神经基础，并为靶向治疗干预提供潜在途径。
