Early Brain Functional Connectivity Changes Induced by Antidepressants and Placebo.

ABSTRACT: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and debilitating condition with limited treatment precision. While brain imaging has linked neural features to MDD diagnosis and treatment response, the underlying circuits and their early modulation by treatment remain unclear. To examine changes in functional connectivity within the first two weeks of treatment, we analyzed two independent cohorts of MDD patients receiving antidepressants or placebo. Across patients, a visual-precuneus-thalamus network showed increased functional connectivity regardless of treatment arm or clinical outcome. Placebo response involved attention and striatal systems, while drug-specific effects were localized to the amygdala, mid-cingulate, orbitofrontal cortex, and cerebellum, emerging only in a subset of medicat

SUBMITTER: Tong X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12407754 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature