Abstract
Background: Neurobiological mechanisms underlying the development of major depressive disorder (MDD) may differ depending on onset ages. Our aim was to determine whether regional homogeneity (ReHo) changes in early-onset depression (EOD) and late-onset depression (LOD) are different, which could also delineate EOD and LOD.Methods: Ninety-one MDD patients and 115 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected. The ReHo comparison was conducted using analysis of variance.Results: Compared with HCs, MDD patients showed decreased ReHo in the left precentral gyrus and the left middle cingulum area, and increased ReHo in the left middle orbital frontal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus. Compared with LOD patients, young HC separately, EOD patients had significantly increased ReHo in the right inferior frontal triangular gyrus and the left postcentral gyrus. However, compared with young HC, EOD patients showed decreased ReHo in the right superior frontal gyrus/supplementary motor area and the right medial frontal gyrus. ReHo in the right inferior frontal triangular gyrus was negatively correlated with the severity of cognitive disturbance in LOD patients (r = −0.47, p = 0.002), but not in EOD patients (r = 0.21, p = 0.178).Conclusion: MDD patients with different onset ages may have different pathophysiological mechanisms; the EOD patients had more abnormal ReHo than LOD patients in the prefrontal lobe, especially the right inferior frontal triangular gyrus.
Highlights
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most frequent psychiatric disorders with a lifetime prevalence of 15–30%, which is mainly characterized by depressed mood, decreased interest, lack of pleasure, slow thinking, worthlessness or guilt, reduced energy, impaired cognition, vegetative symptoms, and suicidal tendency [1,2,3]
Further post-hoc analysis showed that compared with late-onset depression (LOD) patients and young healthy controls (HCs), early-onset depression (EOD) patients had significantly increased regional homogeneity (ReHo) in the right inferior frontal triangular gyrus and the left postcentral gyrus
We focused on the main effects of depression here; compared with HCs, MDD patients showed decreased ReHo in the left precentral gyrus and left middle cingulum area, and increased ReHo in the left middle orbital frontal gyrus and right superior temporal gyrus
Summary
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most frequent psychiatric disorders with a lifetime prevalence of 15–30%, which is mainly characterized by depressed mood, decreased interest, lack of pleasure, slow thinking, worthlessness or guilt, reduced energy, impaired cognition, vegetative symptoms, and suicidal tendency [1,2,3]. The current classification of MDD essentially relies on the Changed ReHo in MDD Patients presence of a defined number of clinical features and a time period over which these symptoms need to be present, as well as by identification of social function impairment [4, 5]. Heterogeneity of clinical presentations and individual differences make it difficult for us to deduce standardized and effective treatment strategies for MDD patients [8]. Symptoms and characteristics of adults with early-onset depression (EOD) differ from those with late-onset depression (LOD) [9,10,11]. Neurobiological mechanisms underlying the development of major depressive disorder (MDD) may differ depending on onset ages. Our aim was to determine whether regional homogeneity (ReHo) changes in early-onset depression (EOD) and late-onset depression (LOD) are different, which could delineate EOD and LOD
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