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Functional connectivity of the default mode network subsystems alterations in suicide attempters with major

Yigao Wu1, Wenhao Jiang2, Man Chen3

  • 1Department of Psychiatry and Psychosomatics, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China; Department of Medical Psychology，The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, China.

Asian Journal of Psychiatry
|March 30, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Major depressive disorder with suicide attempts (MDD-SA) shows distinct default mode network (DMN) functional connectivity (FC) alterations. These DMN-FC patterns may indicate specific pathological mechanisms in MDD-SA and MDD-NoSA.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Brain Imaging

Background:

  • Default mode network (DMN) dysfunction is frequently observed in major depressive disorder (MDD), particularly in patients with suicide attempts (MDD-SA).
  • Understanding the specific functional connectivity (FC) patterns within the DMN is crucial for elucidating the neurobiological underpinnings of MDD and suicidal behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and compare the abnormal functional connectivity (FC) patterns of the DMN in patients with MDD-SA, patients with MDD without suicide attempts (MDD-NoSA), and healthy controls (HC).
  • To identify specific DMN-FC alterations associated with suicidal behavior in major depressive disorder.

Main Methods:

  • Functional connectivity (FC) analysis of the default mode network (DMN) was performed using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
  • Seventeen DMN components were extracted from data of 55 MDD-SA patients, 94 MDD-NoSA patients, and 71 healthy controls (HC).
  • Seed-based FC analyses were conducted using the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dMPFC) and ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) as seeds.

Main Results:

  • Patients with MDD-SA exhibited reduced FC between the dMPFC seed and the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) compared to HC and MDD-NoSA.
  • MDD-SA patients showed increased FC between the vMPFC seed and the medial superior frontal gyrus.
  • Both MDD-SA and MDD-NoSA groups displayed increased FC between the vMPFC seed and the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) compared to HC. The FC between vMPFC and IPL correlated with depression severity in the MDD-NoSA group.

Conclusions:

  • Distinct abnormal functional connectivity (FC) patterns within the default mode network (DMN) differentiate patients with major depressive disorder and suicide attempts (MDD-SA) from those without (MDD-NoSA) and healthy controls (HC).
  • These specific DMN-FC alterations, particularly involving the dMPFC and vMPFC, are associated with the pathological mechanisms underlying major depressive disorder and suicidal behavior.
  • The findings suggest that DMN functional connectivity could serve as a potential neuroimaging marker for MDD severity and suicide risk.
Keywords:
Default mode networkFunctional connectivityFunctional magnetic resonance imagingMajor depressive disorderSuicide attempts

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