Functional near-infrared spectroscopy during a decision-making task in patients with major depressive disorder

• Published in: Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry 2021-05, Vol.55 (5), p.485-493
• Main Authors: Husain, Syeda F, Ong, Samantha K, Cuizhen, Liu, Tran, Bach, Ho, Roger C, Ho, Cyrus S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0004-8674; 1440-1614
• DOI: 10.1177/0004867420976856

Objective: Patients with major depressive disorder tend to exhibit poorer decision-making capacity than the general population, but neurobiological evidence is lacking. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy monitors changes in oxy-haemoglobin concentration in the cerebral cortex. It may provide an objective assessment of neurophysiological responses during decision-making processes. Thus, this study investigated the effect of major depressive disorder diagnosis and severity on prefrontal cortex activity during the Iowa gambling task. Methods: Right-handed healthy controls (n = 25) and patients with major depressive disorder (n = 25) were matched for age, gender, ethnicity and years of education in this cross-sectional study. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy signals and the responses made during a computerised Iowa gambling task were recorded. In addition, demographics, clinical history and symptom severity were noted. Results: Compared to healthy controls, patients with major depressive disorder had reduced haemodynamic response in several cortical regions of the frontal lobe (Hedge’s g range from 0.71 to 1.52; p values range from ⩽0.001 to 0.041). Among patients, mean oxy-haemoglobin declined with major depressive disorder severity in the right orbitofrontal cortex (Pearson’s r = −0.423; p = 0.024). Conclusion: Haemodynamic dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex during decision-making processes is associated with major depressive disorder diagnosis and severity. These neurophysiological alterations may have a role in the decision-making capacity of patients with major depressive disorder.