Resting-state brain of depressed adolescents: Evidence for a hierarchical imbalance

It is with great pleasure that I present to you our recent publication in Frontiers in Psychiatry. This work represents a significant advancement in our understanding of adolescent depression. Our research delves into the altered connectivity between the salience network and default mode network in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD). These findings are crucial as they highlight a potential disruption in the processing of self-referential and emotionally salient information. We utilized spectral dynamical causal modeling to explore the effective connectivity and discovered that the SN’s inhibitory influence on the DMN is diminished in MDD. This suggests a possible imbalance in the hierarchical organization of these networks. Furthermore, our study indicates that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may modulate this connectivity, offering a promising avenue for therapeutic intervention. The publication of this work is a step forward to improve the treatment and understanding of MDD, and I am hopeful for the future developments it may lead to.

Check out the paper:

• Willinger, D., Häberling, I., Ilioska, I., Berger, G., Walitza, S., & Brem, S. (2024). Weakened effective connectivity between salience network and default mode network during resting state in adolescent depression. Frontiers in Psychiatry.