[Brain functions in major depressive disorder: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study]

This study sought to reveal the difference in resting-state brain functions between subjects with major depressive disorder and normal controls. Fifty-three depressed patients diagnosed with DSM-IV and 38 normal controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and the data were analyzed using a new method called Regional Homogeneity (ReHo). Then voxel wised comparison was made to derive the resting-state brain function differences between groups. Compared with normal controls, depressed subjects showed decreased ReHo in bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), left medial frontal gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus. Significant decreased ReHo in ACC might suggest less spontaneous neuronal activities or lower baseline brain activities of ACC in depressed subjects in comparison with normal controls.