Anxiety and depression severity in neuropsychiatric SLE are associated with perfusion and functional connectivity changes of the frontolimbic neural circuit: a resting-state f(unctional) MRI study.

By using rs-fMRI, altered perfusion dynamics and functional connectivity was found in limbic and prefrontal brain regions in patients with NPSLE with severe anxiety and depression symptoms. Although these changes could not be directly attributed to NPSLE pathology, results offer new insights on the pathophysiological substrate of psychoemotional symptomatology in patients with lupus, which may assist its clinical diagnosis and treatment.