Association between Electroencephalographic microstates abnormalities and cognitive dysfunction in drug-naive MDD

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is associated with cognitive deficits.
• Understanding the neural underpinnings of these deficits is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
• Electroencephalography (EEG) microstates offer insights into large-scale brain network dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between EEG microstate anomalies and cognitive impairments in drug-naive individuals with MDD.
• To identify specific EEG microstate alterations associated with cognitive deficits in MDD.
• To explore correlations between EEG microstate parameters and cognitive function domains.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 29 drug-naive MDD patients and 30 healthy controls.
• Assessed cognitive function using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB).
• Analyzed resting-state EEG data using Microstate Analysis plugin for EEGLAB.

Main Results:

• MDD patients exhibited lower scores in six MCCB cognitive domains.
• EEG analysis revealed decreased microstate C duration and reduced microstate D proportion and occurrence in MDD patients.
• Significant alterations in microstate transition probabilities were observed between groups.
• Microstate D proportion and occurrence positively correlated with processing speed and working memory scores.

Conclusions:

• Drug-naive MDD patients display altered sub-second brain dynamics, evidenced by changes in EEG microstates C and D.
• These neurophysiological alterations are linked to specific cognitive impairments, including processing speed and working memory deficits.
• EEG microstate analysis provides a valuable tool for understanding the neurobiological basis of cognitive dysfunction in MDD.