Reduced Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity in Patients with Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Yan Chao-Gan , Chen Xiao , Li Le , Castellanos Francisco Xavier , Bai Tong-Jian , Bo Qi-Jing , Chen Guan-Mao , Chen Ning-Xuan , Chen Wei , Cheng Chang , Cheng Yu-Qi , Cui Xi-Long , Duan Jia , Fang Yi-Ru , Gong Qi-Yong , Guo Wen-Bin , Hou Zheng-Hua , Hu Lan , Kuang Li , Li Feng , Li Kai-Ming , Li Tao , Liu Yan-Song , Liu Zhe-Ning , Long Yi-Cheng , Luo Qing-Hua , Meng Hua-Qing , Peng Dai-Hui , Qiu Hai-Tang , Qiu Jiang , Shen Yue-Di , Shi Yu-Shu , Wang Chuan-Yue , Wang Fei , Wang Kai , Wang Li , Wang Xiang , Wang Ying , Wu Xiao-Ping , Wu Xin-Ran , Xie Chun-Ming , Xie Guang-Rong , Xie Hai-Yan , Xie Peng , Xu Xiu-Feng , Yang Hong , Yang Jian , Yao Jia-Shu , Yao Shu-Qiao , Yin Ying-Ying , Yuan Yong-Gui , Zhang Ai-Xia , Zhang Hong , Zhang Ke-Rang , Zhang Lei , Zhang Zhi-Jun , Zhou Ru-Bai , Zhou Yi-Ting , Zhu Jun-Juan , Zou Chao-Jie , Si Tian-Mei , Zuo Xi-Nian , Zhao Jing-Ping , Zang Yu-Feng 
Published: May 2018

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is common and disabling, but its neuropathophysiology remains unclear. Most studies of functional brain networks in MDD have had limited statistical power and data analysis approaches have varied widely. The REST-meta-MDD Project of resting-state fMRI (R-fMRI) addresses these issues. Twenty-five research groups in China established the REST-meta-MDD Consortium by contributing R-fMRI data from 1,300 patients with MDD and 1,128 normal controls (NCs). Data were preprocessed locally with a standardized protocol prior to aggregated group analyses. We focused on functional connectivity (FC) within the default mode network (DMN), frequently reported to be increased in MDD. Instead, we found decreased DMN FC when we compared 848 patients with MDD to 794 NCs from 17 sites after data exclusion. We found FC reduction only in recurrent MDD, not in first-episode drug-naïve MDD. Decreased DMN FC was associated with medication usage but not with MDD duration. DMN FC was also positively related to symptom severity but only in recurrent MDD. Exploratory analyses also revealed alterations in FC of visual, sensory-motor and dorsal attention networks in MDD. We confirmed the key role of DMN in MDD but found reduced rather than increased FC within the DMN. Future studies should test whether decreased DMN FC mediates response to treatment. Finally, all resting-state fMRI indices of data contributed by the REST-meta-MDD consortium are being shared publicly via the R-fMRI Maps Project.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Functional connectivity within the default mode network in major depressive disorder patients has been frequently reported abnormal but with contradicting directions in previous small sample size studies. In creating the REST-meta-MDD consortium containing neuroimaging data of 1,300 depressed patients and 1,128 normal controls from 25 research groups in China, we found decreased default mode network functional connectivity in depressed patients, driven by patients with recurrent depression, and associated with current medication treatment but not with disease duration. These findings suggest that default mode network functional connectivity remains a prime target for understanding the pathophysiology of depression, with particular relevance to revealing mechanisms of effective treatments.