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This study examined neurovascular coupling (NVC) - the relationship between brain electrical activity and blood flow - in 134 patients with major depressive disorder and 72 healthy controls using simultaneous EEG and fNIRS recordings. Researchers found that while age normally strengthens NVC consistency in the prefrontal cortex, this relationship is disrupted in MDD patients, with greater disruption correlating with more severe depressive symptoms. The altered coupling between neural activity and hemodynamic responses occurred during both oxygen consumption and hemodynamic compensation phases.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that altered neurovascular coupling could serve as a measurable biomarker for depression severity and potentially help monitor disease progression and treatment response. The use of wearable neuroimaging technology makes this approach practical for clinical applications and could improve objective assessment of depression.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Abstract: Neurovascular coupling (NVC), the relationship between neural activity and cerebral hemodynamic responses, remains poorly understood in major depressive disorder (MDD). To investigate alterations in NVC associated with depressive symptom severity, we simultaneously recorded resting-state electroencephalography (rsEEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in 206 participants, including 134 patients with MDD and 72 healthy controls stratified by age to disentangle disease-related alterations from age-associated effects. NVC in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was characterized by the consistency and temporal lag between spontaneous electrophysiological peaks and corresponding hemodynamic responses. We found that age significantly enhances the NVC consistency (p < 0.05), whereas this relationship was altered in patients with MDD during both the oxygen-consumption phase and the subsequent hemodynamic compensation phase. Furthermore, among patients with MDD, the strength of this consistency decreased more significantly with greater illness severity (partial r = -0.336, p = 0.0601). These findings suggest that changes in neurovascular coupling effects are strongly associated with the severity of depression. By leveraging wearable neuroimaging techniques, this study provides multimodal evidence for altered neurovascular coupling in depression and highlights its potential as a biomarker for disease monitoring and recovery trajectories.