Altered neurovascular coupling in drug-naïve first-episode major depressive disorder patients

Motivation: Explore the pathophysiological mechanisms of major depressive disorder (MDD) from the perspective of neurovascular coupling (NVC). Goal(s): Investigate the alteration of NVC in MDD patients and the effects of symptom severity and gender on NVC. Approach: The spatial and temporal correlations between amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) were analyzed as NVC metrics. Results: (1) Compared with HCs, MDD patients exhibited decreased global ALFF-CBF coupling, and decreased coupling was prominent in patients with severe depression and female patients. (2) Patients demonstrated altered regional ALFF-CBF coupling in limbic system, default mode network (DMN), visual network and frontal cortex. Impact: Our findings suggest the NVC decoupling may be a potential pathophysiological mechanism in MDD and provide insights into understanding its relationships to both disease severity and gender. In summary, the neurovascular decoupling may represent a biological marker in MDD.