Frequency-specific network connectivity impairments linked to suicide attempts in major depressive disorder during the GO/NOGO task

Background

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a main risk factor of suicide, emphasizing the urgent need for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying suicide attempts (SAs) in depressive patients. We hypothesized that aberrant frequency-specific functional connectivity patterns underlying an executive and inhibition task might be associated with SA in depression.

Methods

The current study enrolled 143 subjects including 43 healthy controls and 87 patients with MDD (43 patients with SA and 44 without SA), who attended a GO/NOGO task during the magnetoencephalography recording. Time-frequency features in the whole-brain sensors and frequency-specific brain network connectivity patterns were estimated. Behavioral data was recorded during the tasks and neurocognitive assessments were conducted.

Results

The SA group exhibited poorest behavioral and neurocognitive assessments performances. Decreased alpha/beta oscillations of the GO condition and increased alpha/beta oscillations of NOGO condition were observed in the SA group. Hypo-activated frontal-limbic connectivity in the alpha band and frontal-occipital connectivity in the beta band were observed in the SA group during the GO trials, meanwhile, hyper-activated frontal-temporal connectivity in the alpha band and frontal-parietal connectivity in the beta band were associated with SA during the NOGO trials. Frequency-specific features were correlated with the severity of suicide risk, neurocognitive assessments, and could be used to predict potential SAs.

Conclusions

Neuroimaging and neurocognitive evidences supported altered alpha/beta oscillations and connectivity patterns associated with SA in depression, suggesting that depressive patients with SA might exhibit impaired cognitive control functions.