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Toward a visualized classifier for depression: characterization of hemodynamic patterns using time-domain fNIRS.
Cyrus Su Hui Ho1,2, Shujun Jing3, Zhifei Li3,4
1Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
|March 19, 2026
Summary
Researchers identified a new optical biomarker using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to detect major depressive disorder (MDD). This method shows promise for objective diagnosis by analyzing prefrontal cortex activity, potentially improving treatment outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
- Biomarkers
Background:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a chronic illness with high recurrence rates.
- Current MDD diagnosis relies on subjective interviews, highlighting the need for objective physiological markers.
- Neurovascular alterations are increasingly linked to cognitive and brain function changes in MDD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a time-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (TD-fNIRS) instrument and protocol.
- To characterize prefrontal hemodynamics in individuals with MDD.
- To investigate differential hemodynamic patterns between MDD patients and healthy controls (HC).
Main Methods:
- Utilized a dataset of 27 MDD patients and 27 HC.
- Employed a visual analysis method including hemodynamic response separation and feature extraction.
- Applied supervised classifiers for differential analysis of prefrontal cortex activity.
Main Results:
- A novel feature, 'Integral and Centroid of Activation' from task-rest HbO ratio, emerged as the most effective optical biomarker.
- Linear discriminant analysis achieved 75.1% ± 6.6% accuracy in distinguishing MDD from HC using two features.
- MDD individuals showed higher relative HbO changes, suggesting increased oxygenation demand in the prefrontal cortex.
Conclusions:
- TD-fNIRS technology offers new insights into replicable physiological features for MDD.
- The identified optical biomarker shows potential for objective measurement of MDD neuropathology.
- Findings suggest altered prefrontal cortex oxygenation demand in individuals with MDD.
