The comorbidity between major depressive disorder (MDD) and obesity appears especially strong in and perhaps limited to females, even controlling for demographic variables, as evidenced by epidemiological and behavioral studies. Further, obese patients with MDD demonstrate worse treatment outcomes compared to healthy-weight counterparts. Given the significant health burden associated with these comorbid disturbances of emotion regulation and food intake, it is important to better characterize the identified but understudied relationship between MDD and obesity. The purpose of this Mentored Research Scientist Development Plan is to assist the candidate in achieving the following goals: a) gain experience in clinical symptomatology and psychiatric treatment of mood disorders, b) develop a knowledge base in the neuroendocrine system, integral to the study of mood disorders and abnormal food motivation, c) obtain expert training in advanced modeling of fMRI data, d) enhance her understanding of critical hormone and neuropeptide signaling in discrete hypothalamic nuclei, all while e) continuing to expand her skills in the field of sex differences in the brain in psychiatric disorders. Under the strong mentorship of Dr. Jill Goldstein [an expert on sex differences in the brain and the role of hormones in psychiatric disorders at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH)], Dr. Anne Klibanski [an expert in neuroendocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)], Dr. David Silbersweig (an expert in neuropsychiatry in MDD at BWH), Dr. Laura Miller (an expert in women's mental health at BWH) and Dr. Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli (a mathematician at Massachusetts Institute of Technology with expertise in advanced fMRI methodology), the candidate will develop requisite skills to gain independence in the study of mood disturbances and abnormal food motivation using an interdisciplinary approach combining functional neuroimaging and neuroendocrine techniques. The research plan aims to 1) delineate, using fMRI, potential differences in brain activation patterns in regions implicated in food reward in obese women with MDD compared with healthy-weight women with MDD, healthy-weight women without MDD, and obese women without MDD;2) identify relationships between brain activation in subcortical regions of interest and HPA- /HPG-axis hormones and appetite-regulatory peptides in women with MDD and obesity;and 3) test hypotheses regarding associations between MDD symptoms and a) HPA-/HPG-axis hormones and appetite-regulatory peptides, and b) food reward circuitry functioning, in women with MDD and obesity. The candidate's long term goal is to collaborate with treatment specialists to use these techniques and the knowledge gained from these initial studies to design prevention, prediction, and treatment efficacy studies. Facilities provided through the BWH Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology and Division of Women's Health, MGH Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, and Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center, offer the candidate a world-class environment in which to execute her career development plan activities and proposed research.

Public Health Relevance

Women are at a higher risk of developing major depressive disorder and obesity, the co-occurrence of which is associated with poor treatment outcomes. This project will better characterize the identified but understudied relationship between depression and obesity by examining abnormalities in brain regions related to food reward and hormones that regulate mood and appetite in women with depression and obesity. Understanding the shared brain and hormonal pathways that lead to depression and obesity in women will provide a basis for the development of sex-specific preventative approaches to treatment and ease the disease burden associated with this comorbid condition.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training (K01)
Project #
1K01MH091222-01A1
Application #
8113072
Study Section
Adult Psychopathology and Disorders of Aging Study Section (APDA)
Program Officer
Chavez, Mark
Project Start
2011-07-01
Project End
2015-04-30
Budget Start
2011-07-01
Budget End
2012-04-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$173,581
Indirect Cost
Name
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
030811269
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
Holsen, L M; Davidson, P; Cerit, H et al. (2018) Neural predictors of 12-month weight loss outcomes following bariatric surgery. Int J Obes (Lond) 42:785-793
Holsen, Laura M; Jackson, Benita (2017) Reward Capacity Predicts Leptin Dynamics During Laboratory-Controlled Eating in Women as a Function of Body Mass Index. Obesity (Silver Spring) 25:1564-1568
Holsen, Laura M; Goldstein, Jill M (2015) Valuation and cognitive circuitry in anorexia nervosa: disentangling appetite from the effort to obtain a reward. Biol Psychiatry 77:604-6
Admon, Roee; Holsen, Laura M; Aizley, Harlyn et al. (2015) Striatal Hypersensitivity During Stress in Remitted Individuals with Recurrent Depression. Biol Psychiatry 78:67-76
Holsen, Laura M; Lawson, Elizabeth A; Christensen, Kara et al. (2014) Abnormal relationships between the neural response to high- and low-calorie foods and endogenous acylated ghrelin in women with active and weight-recovered anorexia nervosa. Psychiatry Res 223:94-103
Holsen, L M; Lancaster, K; Klibanski, A et al. (2013) HPA-axis hormone modulation of stress response circuitry activity in women with remitted major depression. Neuroscience 250:733-42
Holsen, L M; Savage, C R; Martin, L E et al. (2012) Importance of reward and prefrontal circuitry in hunger and satiety: Prader-Willi syndrome vs simple obesity. Int J Obes (Lond) 36:638-47
Holsen, Laura M; Lee, Jong-Hwan; Spaeth, Sarah B et al. (2012) Brain hypoactivation, autonomic nervous system dysregulation, and gonadal hormones in depression: a preliminary study. Neurosci Lett 514:57-61
Holsen, Laura M; Lawson, Elizabeth A; Blum, Justine et al. (2012) Food motivation circuitry hypoactivation related to hedonic and nonhedonic aspects of hunger and satiety in women with active anorexia nervosa and weight-restored women with anorexia nervosa. J Psychiatry Neurosci 37:322-32
Lawson, Elizabeth A; Holsen, Laura M; Santin, McKale et al. (2012) Oxytocin secretion is associated with severity of disordered eating psychopathology and insular cortex hypoactivation in anorexia nervosa. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 97:E1898-908