Cross Mood and Anxiety Disorders Connectome Landscape of Dysconnectivity

Motivation: Mood and anxiety disorders have high comorbidity and overlapping symptoms which makes diagnosis and treatment challenging. Identification of shared network mechanisms that underlie these disorders is needed. However, most networks are studied in only one disorder at a time. Goal(s): We aim to explore how brain network features reveal differences as well as commonalities across mood and anxiety disorders.Approach: Here we conducted a trans-diagnostic approach motivated by a recent theory of cross-disorder ‘connectome landscape’ which delineates optimal and suboptimal network organization. Results: We empirically tested this novel concept for the first time, observing connectome landscape perturbations in anxiety and PTSD patients. Impact: Identification of distinct or shared network mechanisms that underlie mood and anxiety disorders is greatly needed. Empirically testing the connectome landscape theory, we uncover unique network organization related to depression or anxiety, indicating that anxiety manifests as more global dysconnectivity.