Functional Connectivity Alterations Underlying Psychomotor Disturbances in Major Depressive Disorder

Motivation: Psychomotor disturbances (PsyD) in major depressive disorder (MDD) are associated with severe symptoms and poorer treatment response, yet their neural and neurochemical mechanisms remain unclear. Goal(s): To elucidate the neural substrates of PsyD in depressed patients by using resting-state fMRI. Approach: Analyzing seed-based connectivity (SBC) from the fMRI, the neural co-activation patterns in 150 MDD patients and 91 healthy controls (HC) were compared, with correlations drawn to neurotransmitter receptor maps. Results: The patients with PsyD showed greater clinical severity, unique SBC alterations in somatomotor area and cerebellum, and the connectivity patterns associated with dopamine receptor distributions, highlighting potential biomarkers for PsyD in MDD. Impact: This study advances understanding of the neural basis underlying PsyD in MDD, provide evidence for the role of dopaminergic dysregulation, and inform potential diagnostic and therapeutic approaches targeting neurotransmitter-related connectivity abnormalities in affective disorders.