Neuroimaging Sleep and Mood in Depression

The purpose of this work is to identify brain networks that underlie sleep and mood using a combination of EEG and fMRI. Sleep deprivation can elicit rapid improvements in mood in some patients with depression, while some patients do not show any significant changes in mood. We will image the brain while measuring physiological and electrical signals in healthy individuals and in patients with depression. Subjects will participate in combined EEG-MRI studies that will involve the use of perceptual and attentional tasks, and will involve recording physiological variables such as breathing, heart rate, eye movements, and blood pressure. If combined EEG-MRI cannot be completed due to data quality reasons, subjects will participate in EEG or MRI alone. Subjects will participate in a blood draw to assess for inflammatory markers related to mood. Subjects will be either well-rested or sleep deprived. For sleep deprivation, subjects will be asked to stay awake overnight under the supervision of a member of the study team at Boston University, and then would be asked to do an fMRI, EEG, or EEG-MRI scan. fMRI studies will be performed at the Boston University Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging. During the study visit, subjects will answer questions in structured interviews, will fill out questionnaires that will contain questions related to their mental health. Subjects will be shown visual stimuli and/or listen to auditory stimuli, and/or asked to perform simple behavioral tasks related to these stimuli. Some of the visual stimuli will be emotionally salient. Wrist actigraphy will be used to monitor sleep behavior. Remote daily mood and sleep assessments will be performed for up to two weeks prior to imaging. These assessments will be sent as emails or text messages to participants.