Education & Outreach

Is depression associated with changes in brain connections?


Original Title:
Baseline Functional Connectivity in Resting State Networks Associated with Depression and Remission Status after 16 Weeks of Pharmacotherapy: A CAN-BIND Report

Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34416758/

Understanding how the brain works in major depressive disorder (MDD) and how it responds to treatment is crucial for improving outcomes. However, research findings in this area vary, and large-scale studies are limited. In this study, CAN-BIND researchers aimed to replicate and expand on previous findings about how MDD affects brain connections and how these connections relate to treatment outcomes.

To explore this, researchers Gwen van der Wijk, Andrea Protzner, and their colleagues used a technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the resting-state brains of 129 patients with MDD and 99 individuals without MDD. They also assessed depression symptoms using a rating scale. The researchers then measured the connections between different brain regions and compared these brain connections between the patients with MDD and the individuals without MDD.

The analysis showed that brain connection patterns in patients with MDD were different from those without MDD, confirming previous findings. Additionally, the researchers found that the connections in certain parts of the brain could predict how well patients responded to treatment. Specifically, differences in brain connections involving areas in the front (anterior cingulate), back (posterior cingulate), and middle (insula) of the brain were linked to different treatment outcomes, such as early remission, late remission, or no remission at all.

The study’s results highlight how measuring brain connections could predict how well patients might respond to pharmacotherapy before treatment starts. By understanding these neural differences, we may be able to better predict and tailor treatments for individuals with depression.

Citation: van der Wijk G, Harris JK, Hassel S, Davis AD, Zamyadi M, Arnott SR, et al. Baseline Functional Connectivity in Resting State Associated with Depression and Remission Status After 16 Weeks of Pharmacotherapy: A CAN-BIND Report. Cereb Cortex 2022;32:1223–43. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhab286.