Abnormal Reginal Homogeneity in Left Anterior Cingulum Cortex and Precentral Gyrus as a Potential Neuroimaging Biomarker for First-Episode Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract

ObjectiveThere is no objective method to diagnose major depressive disorder (MDD). This study explored the neuroimaging biomarkers using the support vector machine (SVM) method for the diagnosis of MDD.Methods52 MDD patients and 45 healthy controls (HCs) were involved in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scanning. Imaging data were analyzed with the regional homogeneity (ReHo) and SVM methods.ResultsCompared with HCs, MDD patients showed increased ReHo in the left anterior cingulum cortex (ACC) and decreased ReHo in the left precentral gyrus (PG). No correlations were detected between the ReHo values and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) scores. The SVM results showed a diagnostic accuracy of 98.96% (96/97). Increased ReHo in the left ACC, and decreased ReHo in the left PG were illustrated, along with a sensitivity of 98.07%(51/52) and a specificity of100% (45/45).ConclusionOur results suggest that abnormal regional neural activity in the left ACC and PG may play a key role in the pathophysiological process of first-episode MDD. Moreover, the combination of ReHo values in the left ACC and precentral gyrusmay serve as a neuroimaging biomarker for first-episode MDD.

Abnormal degree centrality values as a potential imaging biomarker for major depressive disorder: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study and support vector machine analysis

“…The SVM method has been diffusely applied in disease diagnosis for neuropsychosis ( 15 , 18 , 20 ). Running the LIBSVM 3 software package in MATLAB, the SVM methodology was used to test the sensitivity, accuracy, and effectiveness of using DC values identified in abnormal brain regions to distinguish MDD from HCs (detailed information can be found in Supplementary Material ).…”

Cerebral blood flow and cardiovascular risk effects on resting brain regional homogeneity

“…For instance, patients imaged during an acute psychotic episode exhibited increased ReHo in the medial/lateral prefrontal cortex, anterior insula, and putamen and these findings were interpreted as evidence for increased local connectivity ( Wang et al, 2018 , 2016 ; Xiao et al, 2017 ; Xu et al, 2015 ). Similarly, higher ReHo values were reported in the left superior frontal gyrus and left inferior temporal gyrus in early-onset Parkinson’s disease ( Sheng et al, 2016 ), left anterior cingulum cortex in major depressive disorder patients ( Song et al, 2022 ), right superior temporal gyrus and bilateral hippocampus, parahippocampus, fusiform gyrus and cerebellum in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder ( Yan et al, 2022 ), in right superior and inferior frontal gyrus in depressive patients compared to non-depressive patients ( Fang et al, 2021 ). The lower ReHo signal in frontal and temporal lobes in patients with schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and mild cognitive impairment were associated with a lower working memory performance and other cognitive abilities ( Han et al, 2011 ; Zhang et al, 2012 ) and lower ReHo in the right putamen in early-onset PD compared to late-onset ( Sheng et al, 2016 ).…”

Multiple examinations indicated associations between abnormal regional homogeneity and cognitive dysfunction in major depressive disorder

“…Decreased ReHo values were observed in the left precentral gyrus and were positively correlated with EPQ-N scores and negatively correlated with EPQ-L scores in the patients. Reduced ReHo values of the left precentral gyrus in patients with MDD have been found in the published literature (Zhang et al, 2021;Song et al, 2022). Previous studies have shown that patients with MDD who attempted suicide had fewer hemodynamic responses in the left precentral gyrus than patients with MDD without suicidal ideation and HCs (Tsujii et al, 2017).…”