Abstract：
BACKGROUND: The brain of major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with altered functional connectivity (FC) compared to that of healthy individuals when processing positive and negative visual stimuli. Building upon alterations in brain connectivity, some researchers have employed electroencephalography (EEG) to study FC in MDD, aiming to enhance both diagnosis and treatment; however, the results have been inconsistent and the studies involving FC during emotional recognition are limited. This study aims to 1) investigate the effects of MDD on EEG patterns during visual emotional processing, 2) explore the therapeutic effects of antidepressant treatment on brain FC within the first week, and assess whether these effects can be predictive of treatment outcomes four weeks later, and 3) study baseline FC parameter biomarkers that can be used to predict treatment responsiveness in MDD patients.
METHODS: This clinical observational study recruited 38 healthy controls (HC) and 48 MDD patients. Patients underwent an EEG exam while looking at validated images of happy and sad faces at week 0 and 1. MDD patients were categorized into treatment responders and non-responders after 4 weeks of treatment. We conducted the FC analysis (node strength (NS), global efficiency (GE), and cluster coefficient (CC)) on HC and MDD patients using graph theoretical analysis. Multivariable linear regression was used to evaluate the influence of MDD on FC compared to HC, while controlling for confounding variables including age, gender, and academic degrees.
RESULTS: At week 0 and week 1, MDD patients revealed to have significant reductions in FC parameters (NS, GE and CC) compared to HC. When comparing MDD patients at week 1 post-antidepressant treatment and pre-treatment, no significant differences in FC changes were observed. Multivariable regression revealed a significant negative effect on FC of MDD. Compared to the treatment non-responsive group, the responsive group revealed a significantly higher FC in delta band frequency at baseline.
CONCLUSIONS: MDD patient group showed impaired FC during visual emotion-processing and we observed baseline FC parameters to be associated with treatment response at week 4. While signs of FC changes were observed in the brain after a week of treatment, it is possible that one week may still be insufficient to demonstrate significant alterations in the brain. Our results suggest the potential utilization of EEG-based FC as an indicative measure for predicting treatment response and monitoring treatment progress in MDD patients.
METHODS: This clinical observational study recruited 38 healthy controls (HC) and 48 MDD patients. Patients underwent an EEG exam while looking at validated images of happy and sad faces at week 0 and 1. MDD patients were categorized into treatment responders and non-responders after 4 weeks of treatment. We conducted the FC analysis (node strength (NS), global efficiency (GE), and cluster coefficient (CC)) on HC and MDD patients using graph theoretical analysis. Multivariable linear regression was used to evaluate the influence of MDD on FC compared to HC, while controlling for confounding variables including age, gender, and academic degrees.
RESULTS: At week 0 and week 1, MDD patients revealed to have significant reductions in FC parameters (NS, GE and CC) compared to HC. When comparing MDD patients at week 1 post-antidepressant treatment and pre-treatment, no significant differences in FC changes were observed. Multivariable regression revealed a significant negative effect on FC of MDD. Compared to the treatment non-responsive group, the responsive group revealed a significantly higher FC in delta band frequency at baseline.
CONCLUSIONS: MDD patient group showed impaired FC during visual emotion-processing and we observed baseline FC parameters to be associated with treatment response at week 4. While signs of FC changes were observed in the brain after a week of treatment, it is possible that one week may still be insufficient to demonstrate significant alterations in the brain. Our results suggest the potential utilization of EEG-based FC as an indicative measure for predicting treatment response and monitoring treatment progress in MDD patients.
摘要：
背景：与健康个体相比，重度抑郁症（MDD）的大脑在处理正面和负面视觉刺激时与功能连接（FC）改变有关。建立在大脑连通性改变的基础上，一些研究人员已经采用脑电图(EEG)来研究MDD中的FC，旨在加强诊断和治疗；然而，结果不一致,在情绪识别过程中涉及FC的研究有限.本研究旨在1)研究MDD对视觉情绪处理过程中脑电图模式的影响，2)探讨抗抑郁治疗在第一周内对脑FC的治疗效果,并评估这些效果是否可以预测四周后的治疗结果，和3)研究可用于预测MDD患者治疗反应性的基线FC参数生物标志物。
方法：这项临床观察性研究招募了38名健康对照（HC）和48名MDD患者。患者在第0周和第1周进行脑电图检查，同时查看经过验证的快乐和悲伤面孔的图像。MDD患者在治疗4周后被分为治疗应答者和非应答者。我们进行了FC分析(节点强度(NS)，全球效率(GE)，和聚类系数(CC))对HC和MDD患者进行图论分析。多变量线性回归用于评估MDD对FC的影响，在控制包括年龄在内的混杂变量的同时，性别,和学位。
结果：在第0周和第1周，MDD患者显示FC参数显着降低（NS，GE和CC）与HC相比。当比较抗抑郁药治疗后第1周和治疗前的MDD患者时，未观察到FC变化的显着差异。多元回归分析显示，MDD对FC有显著的负面影响。与治疗无反应组相比，有反应的组显示基线时δ波段频率的FC显著较高.
结论：MDD患者组在视觉情绪处理期间表现出FC受损，我们观察到基线FC参数在第4周与治疗反应相关。虽然治疗一周后在大脑中观察到FC变化的迹象，有可能一周仍不足以证明大脑的显著改变。我们的结果表明，基于EEG的FC可作为预测MDD患者治疗反应和监测治疗进展的指示性指标。
方法：这项临床观察性研究招募了38名健康对照（HC）和48名MDD患者。患者在第0周和第1周进行脑电图检查，同时查看经过验证的快乐和悲伤面孔的图像。MDD患者在治疗4周后被分为治疗应答者和非应答者。我们进行了FC分析(节点强度(NS)，全球效率(GE)，和聚类系数(CC))对HC和MDD患者进行图论分析。多变量线性回归用于评估MDD对FC的影响，在控制包括年龄在内的混杂变量的同时，性别,和学位。
结果：在第0周和第1周，MDD患者显示FC参数显着降低（NS，GE和CC）与HC相比。当比较抗抑郁药治疗后第1周和治疗前的MDD患者时，未观察到FC变化的显着差异。多元回归分析显示，MDD对FC有显著的负面影响。与治疗无反应组相比，有反应的组显示基线时δ波段频率的FC显著较高.
结论：MDD患者组在视觉情绪处理期间表现出FC受损，我们观察到基线FC参数在第4周与治疗反应相关。虽然治疗一周后在大脑中观察到FC变化的迹象，有可能一周仍不足以证明大脑的显著改变。我们的结果表明，基于EEG的FC可作为预测MDD患者治疗反应和监测治疗进展的指示性指标。
