Abnormal frequency-specific white matter functional interactions in drug-naïve first-episode major depressive disorder patients

Motivation: Most resting state functional MRI studies of depression have focused on cerebral gray-matter, while ignoring the influence of white-matter function and its frequency band effects. Goal(s): Frequency-specific alterations in cerebral white-matter function played a crucial role in the pathogenesis of depression. Approach: A new functional covariance connectivity method was applied to estimate the covariance between two white-matter networks based on their correlation with multiple gray-matter regions in several frequency bands. Results: The drug-naïve first-episode major depressive disorder patients exhibited increased connectivity between multiple perceptual-motor-executive white-matter functional networks centered on precentral/postcentral networks in the slow-2 band. Impact: Exploring frequency-specific alterations in white-matter function by applying functional covariance connectivity method expands the boundaries of brain function research in depression, the discovery of relevant biomarkers may open new avenues for its diagnosis and treatment that could benefit patients.