Affective network and default mode network in depressive adolescents with disruptive behaviors

AIM: Disruptive behaviors are thought to affect the progress of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents. In resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) studies of MDD, the affective network (limbic network) and the default mode network (DMN) have garnered a great deal of interest. We aimed to investigate RSFC in a sample of treatment-naïve adolescents with MDD and disruptive behaviors. METHODS: Twenty-two adolescents with MDD and disruptive behaviors ((disrup-)MDD) and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy control (HC) participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We used a seed-based correlation approach concerning two brain circuits including the affective network and the DMN, with two seed regions including the bilateral amygdala for the limbic network and the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) for the DMN. We also observed a correlation between RSFC and severity of depressive symptoms and disruptive behaviors. RESULTS: The (disrup-)MDD participants showed lower RSFC from the amygdala to the orbitofrontal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus compared to HC participants. Depression scores in (disrup-)MDD participants were negatively correlated with RSFC from the amygdala to the right orbitofrontal cortex. The (disrup-)MDD participants had higher PCC RSFC compared to HC participants in a cluster that included the left precentral gyrus, left insula, and left parietal lobe. Disruptive behavior scores in (disrup-)MDD patients were positively correlated with RSFC from the PCC to the left insular cortex. CONCLUSION: Depressive mood might be correlated with the affective network, and disruptive behavior might be correlated with the DMN in adolescent depression.