Altered temporal reachability highlights the role of sensory perception systems in major depressive disorder

The latest studies have considered the time-dependent structures in dynamic brain networks. However, the effect of periphery structures on the temporal flow of information remains unexplored in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). In this work, we aimed to explore the pattern of interactions between brain regions in MDD across space and time.

We concentrated on the temporal reachability of nodes in temporal brain networks derived from the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) of 55 MDD patients and 62 sex-, age-matched healthy controls. Specifically, temporal connectedness and temporal efficiency (TEF) were estimated based on the length of temporal paths between node pairs. Subsequently, the temporal clustering coefficient (TCC) and temporal distance were jointly employed to explore the patterns in which a node's periphery structure affects its reachability.

Significantly higher TEF and lower TCC were found in temporal brain networks in MDD. Besides, significant between-group differences of nodal TCC were detected in regions of sensory perception systems. Considering the temporal paths that begin or end at these regions, MDD patients showed several altered temporal distances.

Our results showed that the temporal reachability of specific brain regions in MDD could be affected as their periphery structures evolve, which may explain the dysfunction of sensory perception systems in the spatiotemporal domain.