Variability and concordance among indices of brain activity in major depressive disorder with suicidal ideation: A...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Psychiatry
• Brain Connectivity

Background:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is used to study brain abnormalities in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) patients with suicidal ideation (SI).
• Limited research exists on the variability and concordance of rs-fMRI alterations in MDD with SI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the variability and concordance of rs-fMRI index alterations in MDD patients with SI.
• To explore the relationship between voxel-wise concordance and cognitive function in the SI group.

Main Methods:

• Sliding window analysis was applied to 36 MDD patients with SI, 66 MDD patients without SI (NSI), and 50 healthy controls (HCs).
• Voxel-wise concordance and its correlation with cognitive function were examined in the SI group.

Main Results:

• The SI group showed lower dynamic degree centrality (dDC) and dynamic voxel mirrored homotopic connectivity (dVMHC) in the inferior occipital gyrus compared to the NSI group.
• Healthy controls exhibited higher volume-wise concordance than both SI and NSI groups.
• The SI group displayed decreased voxel-wise concordance in regions including the cerebellum, fusiform gyrus, lingual gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and supplementary motor area compared to the NSI group.
• Voxel-wise concordance in the left middle occipital gyrus negatively correlated with verbal learning, memory, and working memory in the SI group.

Conclusions:

• Abnormal voxel-wise concordance in the left middle occipital gyrus may contribute to understanding the pathophysiology of MDD with SI.
• These findings highlight potential neuroimaging biomarkers for MDD with SI.