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Abstract #2149

Reduced Functional Connectivity in Major Depression: A Whole Brain Study of Multiple Resting-State Networks

Ilya M. Veer1,2, Christian F. Beckmann3,4, Evelinda Baerends1,2, Marie J. van Tol1,5, Luca Ferrarini6, Julien R. Milles6, Dick J. Veltman7, Andre Aleman8, Mark A. van Buchem1,2, Nic J. van der Wee1,5, Serge A. Rombouts1,2

1Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, Netherlands; 2Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, Netherlands; 3FMRIB, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; 4Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; 5Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, Netherlands; 6Department of Radiology, Division of Image Processing, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, Netherlands; 7Department of Psychiatry, Free University Medical Center (VUMC), Amsterdam, Netherlands; 8BCN Neuroimaging Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands


Major depression is associated with abnormal function of a large-scale mood processing and regulating brain circuit of interconnected regions. Therefore, resting-state (RS) functional connectivity networks were investigated in a group of 19 medication-free patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder without comorbidity, and 19 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Using independent component, 13 relevant RS networks were found for the entire group. Adopting a dual regression method, subject specific maps were calculated and subsequently used for permutation analysis. We found decreased functional connectivity in three networks, which may relate to the affective and cognitive symptoms in major depression.