Transdiagnostic white matter controllability deficits across patients with affective and anxiety spectrum disorders

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders 2025-02, Vol.370, p.268-276
• Main Authors: Tang, Biqiu, Cao, Hengyi, Deng, Shikuang, Zhang, Wenjing, Zhao, Youjin, Gong, Qiyong, Gu, Shi, Lui, Su
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - physiopathology; Case-Control Studies; Connectome; Depressive Disorder, Major - diagnostic imaging; Depressive Disorder, Major - physiopathology; Female; Humans; Illness-specific; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Network controllability; Phobia, Social - physiopathology; Psychiatric disorders; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - physiopathology; Transdiagnostic; White matter; White Matter - diagnostic imaging; White Matter - pathology
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.067

Affective and anxiety disorders including major depression disorder (MDD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD) are characterized by network dysconnectivity. Network controllability quantifies the capability of specific brain regions to impact functional dynamics based on the underlying structural connectome. This study aimed to investigate transdiagnostic and illness-specific network controllability alterations across these three disorders. The study enrolled 233 currently untreated and non-comorbid subjects, including 68 MDD patients, 51 PTSD patients, 46 SAD patients, and 68 healthy controls (HCs). White matter network controllability was compared among the four groups, and its associations with symptom severity and duration of untreated illness were evaluated. Compared with HCs, patients with PTSD, MDD and SAD exhibited reduced average controllability in the somatomotor, subcortical, and default mode network, notably in brain regions such as the superior frontal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, paracentral gyrus, pallidum, posterior cingulate, and putamen. MDD and SAD patients exhibited reduced average controllability in the left lateral occipital gyrus and bilateral accumbens. SAD patients showed reduced average controllability in the dorsal attention network. These controllability changes did not correlate with illness duration or symptom severity. The cross-sectional design limits causal inference, and adjusting for age and sex differences may not completely eliminate their influence on the results. The present study revealed shared and specific alterations of network controllability in MDD, PTSD, and SAD, suggesting reduced ability of specific brain regions/networks in driving the brain system into different functional states across these disorders. •Study on currently untreated, non-comorbid individuals across MDD, PTSD and SAD•Network controllability quantifies ability of brain regions to impact function.•PTSD, MDD and SAD shared controllability deficits in multiple networks/brain areas.•MDD/SAD shared controllability decreases in lateral occipital gyrus & accumbens.•SAD showed unique controllability reduction in dorsal attention network.