Mechanisms of anti-depressant medications’ effects on the brain network underpinnings of rumination in major depressive disorder patients

National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)

PI：Prof. Chao-Gan Yan

Major depressive disorder (MDD) patients are characterized by their abnormalities regarding the default mode network (DMN), which is widely deemed as the neural underpinnings of rumination. However, most evidences are from resting-state functional magnetic imaging studies, lacking direct investigations on the neural underpinnings during active rumination. It has been demonstrated that anti-depressant medications can modify the DMN abnormalities in MDD and ease rumination, but the direct impact of anti-depressant medications on rumination’s specific neural underpinnings is still unclear. The present study seeks to directly investigate the DMN neural underpinnings during active rumination and its pattern after receiving anti-depressant medication treatment with a novel rumination state paradigm in a longitudinal follow-up experiment design. Results can provide preliminary empirical evidences for future objective biomarkers for MDD and mechanisms regarding the effects of anti-depressant medications on rumination.