Study Identifies Five Brain-Activity Profiles Among People With Depression
publishers 4articles 4first reported 23 Sep, 18:05 UTCdeveloping since 24 Sep · 4 editions
Researchers have identified five distinct brain-activity profiles among people diagnosed with major depressive disorder, including groups with opposite patterns of connectivity between brain regions.
The University of Helsinki-led study measured brain activity in 263 people with major depressive disorder and 75 healthy control subjects. Using magnetoencephalography, or MEG, researchers recorded magnetic fields produced by electrical brain activity with millisecond precision. Their analysis separated participants with depression into five groups based on functional connectivity, a measure of how brain regions operate simultaneously.
Some participants had stronger-than-usual connectivity between regions, while others showed weaker connectivity despite sharing the same diagnosis. One group with particularly strong connectivity also had more severe substance abuse, while post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms were more prominent in a group with weak connectivity.
Satu Palva, director of the University of Helsinki’s Neuroscience Center, said the contrasting patterns may help explain conflicting results in previous depression research. The findings support the view that depression does not have the same biological characteristics in every patient.
Palva cautioned that brain measurements cannot yet determine which treatment an individual patient should receive. Researchers hope eventually to connect symptom patterns with brain function so measurements could help identify suitable therapies more quickly.
The research was conducted with Aalto University and the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District and published in *Nature Mental Health*.
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