Differences of aberrant dynamic functional connectivity between depressed patients with and without suicidal ideation

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with dynamic functional changes in the brain. However, little is known regarding the different dysfunctions of dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) in MDD patients with and without suicidal ideation. Several studies linked rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) to suicide. The purpose of this study was to investigate the distinct dysfunctions of rACC-based dFC in MDD patients with and without suicidal ideation. Participants consisted of 28 MDD patients with suicidal ideation (SI), 20 MDD patients without suicidal ideation (NSI), and 30 ethically matched healthy controls (HC). The rACC-based dFC was analyzed among the three groups. We found that SI group exhibited increased iFC between the rACC and left lingual gyrus (LING) and right middle temporal gyrus (MTG) compared to HC and NSI groups. The decreased dFC between rACC and right MTG was found in NSI compared to HC. In addition, the connectivity variability between rACC and LING was positively correlated with severity of suicidal ideation (SSI) in SI group. Importantly, the aberrant dFC values yielded 79% accuracy with 86% sensitivity and 70% specificity in differentiating between SI and NSI. Disrupted transdiagnostic and diagnosis-specific regions are part of neural circuitries that mediate emotional and visual perceptions. In particular, aberrant rACC-based dFC values might be as classification features in distinguishing SI from NSI, and the dFC between rACC and left LING might be a predictor of SSI in MDD patients.