Depression and the prefrontal-hippocampal pathway - A multimodal neuroimaging study in transgender women
3
Issued Date
2025-05-01
Resource Type
eISSN
26664976
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-86000291296
Journal Title
Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology
Volume
22
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology Vol.22 (2025)
Suggested Citation
Jarukasemkit S., Tam K.M., Yoadsanit S., Easley T., Modi H., Stahl L., Kampaengtip A., Chansakul T., Janamnuaysook R., Hiransuthikul A., Chunharas C., Bijsterbosch J.D. Depression and the prefrontal-hippocampal pathway - A multimodal neuroimaging study in transgender women. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology Vol.22 (2025). doi:10.1016/j.cpnec.2025.100288 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/106707
Title
Depression and the prefrontal-hippocampal pathway - A multimodal neuroimaging study in transgender women
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
This study aims to investigate functional and neurotransmitter signaling in the prefrontal-hippocampal pathway in relation to depression in a cohort of Thai transgender women. Twenty participants completed mental health surveys and imaging between January and March 2024. Depression severity was measured by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores. Higher PHQ-9 scores were associated with lower GABA levels in the hippocampus, and with lower fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. However, removal of the hippocampal GABA outlier resulted in a non-significant relationship with PHQ-9. Therefore, future studies with larger datasets should further investigate the association between GABA and depression in a transgender cohort. These findings revealed interactions between neurotransmitter signaling and functional brain activity of the hippocampal-prefrontal circuit in depression.