Associations Between Left DLPFC iTBS-induced Functional Connectivity Changes and Depressive Symptoms: An Exploratory...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a prevalent mental health condition.
• Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a therapeutic option for MDD.
• Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) is an efficient rTMS variant showing promise for MDD treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of a 10-day iTBS treatment targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on resting-state functional connectivity (FC) in patients with MDD.
• To explore the relationship between baseline FC and treatment response in MDD patients undergoing iTBS.
• To identify specific FC patterns that correlate with and predict improvement in depressive symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Enrolled 29 MDD patients receiving 10 days of left DLPFC iTBS.
• Constructed FC matrices using the Human Brainnetome Atlas.
• Analyzed changes in FC and performed correlation and regression analyses between baseline FC and depressive symptom improvement.

Main Results:

• iTBS treatment demonstrated significant therapeutic effects, with response and remission rates of 62.07% and 31.03%.
• A reduction in positive FC was observed between the ventromedial putamen (vmPu), precentral gyrus (PrG), and postcentral gyrus (PoG).
• Baseline FC between vmPu and PrG (r = 0.529, p = 0.003) and vmPu and PoG (r = 0.545, p = 0.002) positively correlated with symptom improvement and predicted therapeutic outcomes.

Conclusions:

• iTBS is a promising intervention for depression treatment.
• Specific baseline FC patterns in the vmPu, PrG, and PoG correlate with and predict treatment response in MDD patients.
• These findings contribute to understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying iTBS efficacy in depression.