Common and distinct patterns of aberrant amygdala functional connectivity in major depressive disorder and bipolar...

As a central hub of emotional processing, alterations in amygdala functional connectivity (FC) have garnered significant attention in both major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD), which holds promise in identifying differential biomarkers and highlighting their similarities. However, current findings are limited by inconsistency. To address this, we conducted a comparative and conjunction analysis using the Seed-based d Mapping (SDM) toolbox to examine amygdala FC alterations in MDD and BD patients. Our results revealed distinct amygdala FC alterations between MDD and BD were primarily identified in the left temporal pole, cingulate cortex, and left supramarginal gyrus, while shared amygdala FC abnormalities were particularly observed in the fronto-limbic regions and occipitotemporal gyrus. These findings highlight both commonalities and differences in amygdala FC alterations across MDD and BD, providing insights into the underlying pathophysiology of mood disorders and offering potential neural biomarkers for differential diagnosis, thereby aiding in the improvement of treatment strategies.