Time-frequency and functional connectivity analysis in drug-naive adolescents with depression based on...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Cognitive deficits are common in adolescents with depression.
• Neuroelectrophysiological mechanisms underlying these deficits are not well understood.
• Electroencephalography (EEG) offers a tool to investigate these mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore neuroelectrophysiological alterations in adolescents with depression during cognitive tasks.
• To investigate the relationship between brain oscillations, functional connectivity, and cognitive deficits.

Main Methods:

• Utilized electroencephalography (EEG) data from 173 adolescents with depression and 126 healthy controls (HC).
• Applied time-frequency analysis and functional connectivity (FC) techniques during a visual oddball task.
• Analyzed delta, theta, and alpha power spectra, and cortical FC.

Main Results:

• Adolescents with depression showed significantly reduced delta, theta, and alpha power at multiple electrode sites (Fz, Cz, C5, C6, Pz, P5, P6).
• Lower theta and alpha power were observed at specific frontal electrodes (F5, F6) in the depression group.
• Markedly decreased cortical functional connectivity was found in the frontal and central regions of adolescents with depression.

Conclusions:

• Adolescents with depression exhibit abnormalities in high- and low-frequency brain oscillations during cognitive tasks.
• Reduced functional connectivity in frontal, central, and parietal regions is characteristic of adolescent depression.
• These neurophysiological findings provide insights into the cognitive deficits associated with depression in adolescents.