Altered fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuationin superiortemporal gyrus: a resting-state fMRI study in Anxious depression

Abstract

Abstract Background Anxious depression (AD), which is a common subtype of major depressive disorder (MDD), has distinct clinical features relative to non-anxious depression (NAD). However, little is known of the neurobiological characteristics of AD. In this study, we explored the regional brain activity changes during the resting-state between AD and NAD. Method Resting-state functional magnetic resonance (rs-fMRI) imaging data were collected from 60 patients with AD, 38 patients with NAD, and 60 matched healthy controls (HCs). The one-way analysis of variancewas conducted to compare whole brain fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) in the three groups. The correlation between the fALFF and the clinical measures was examined. Results AD patients showed reduced fALFF values in right superior temporal gyrus (STG) compared with NAD(p < 0.001,corrected). Within AD group, the fALFF value in right STG was positively correlated with the score of cognitive disturbances(r = 0.36, p = 0.005 corrected). Conclusion The right STG, which is related to the default mode network, might play an essential role in the neuropathological mechanism of AD.