Sex differences in aberrant functional connectivity of three core networks and subcortical networks in medication-free adolescent-onset major depressive disorder.

Cereb Cortex

Department of Radiology and Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.

Published: June 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • - The study examined differences in brain connectivity between male and female adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD), focusing on three key brain networks: frontoparietal, salience, and default mode networks.
  • - Results showed that both sexes displayed reduced connectivity in certain brain areas compared to healthy controls, but females experienced additional unique connectivity issues within the default mode network and subcortical regions, while males exhibited contrasting patterns.
  • - The research highlighted the importance of considering sex differences in brain connectivity related to MDD, suggesting that tailored diagnosis and treatment methods could be beneficial for adolescents based on these variations.

Article Abstract

Major depressive disorder demonstrated sex differences in prevalence and symptoms, which were more pronounced during adolescence. Yet, research on sex-specific brain network characteristics in adolescent-onset major depressive disorder remains limited. This study investigated sex-specific and nonspecific alterations in resting-state functional connectivity of three core networks (frontoparietal network, salience network, and default mode network) and subcortical networks in adolescent-onset major depressive disorder, using seed-based resting-state functional connectivity in 50 medication-free patients with adolescent-onset major depressive disorder and 56 healthy controls. Irrespective of sex, compared with healthy controls, adolescent-onset major depressive disorder patients showed hypoconnectivity between bilateral hippocampus and right superior temporal gyrus (default mode network). More importantly, we further found that females with adolescent-onset major depressive disorder exhibited hypoconnectivity within the default mode network (medial prefrontal cortex), and between the subcortical regions (i.e. amygdala, striatum, and thalamus) with the default mode network (angular gyrus and posterior cingulate cortex) and the frontoparietal network (dorsal prefrontal cortex), while the opposite patterns of resting-state functional connectivity alterations were observed in males with adolescent-onset major depressive disorder, relative to their sex-matched healthy controls. Moreover, several sex-specific resting-state functional connectivity changes were correlated with age of onset, sleep disturbance, and anxiety in adolescent-onset major depressive disorder with different sex. These findings suggested that these sex-specific resting-state functional connectivity alterations may reflect the differences in brain development or processes related to early illness onset, underscoring the necessity for sex-tailored diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in adolescent-onset major depressive disorder.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhae225DOI Listing

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