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Brain microstate features of patients with depression: A transcranial magnetic stimulation and
Jun Zhang1, Yuxi Li2, Xiaobo Liu2
1School of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Center for Neurological Function Test and Neuromodulation, West China Xiamen Hospital, Sichuan University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Background:
Recent studies using transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) have revealed abnormal changes in the temporal and frequency domains associated with depression. In this cross-sectional study, we employed microstate analysis to investigate the spatio-temporal features of TMS-induced EEG signals in depressive patients. Our goal was to identify more robust and clinically relevant EEG characterizations associated with depressive states.
Methods:
EEG microstate analysis was conducted on 60 patients with depression and 60 healthy controls. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 24-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-24), while anxiety and sleep quality were evaluated with the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. TMS-EEG data, recorded from 46 channels over a 4-minute duration, were subjected to microstate analysis using the Microstate EEGLAB toolbox 1.0. Microstate properties were compared between the groups and correlated with depressive symptoms in patients with depression.
Results:
Microstate analysis identified four classes (MS1-MS4) across all participants. Depressed individuals exhibited a significant increase in both the coverage and duration of MS1 as well as the duration of MS4 (p < 0.05), while the coverage, duration, and occurrence of MS3 were notably reduced compared to healthy controls (p < 0.05). Additionally, HAMD-24 scores and factor scores were negatively correlated with MS3 parameters in patients with depression.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that alterations in EEG microstates during TMS are closely linked to depressive symptoms, reflecting changes in large-scale brain dynamics in individuals with depression. TMS-EEG microstate analysis holds potential as a valuable tool for evaluating depressive symptoms and offers new insights into the neuro-electrophysiological mechanisms underlying depression.
