Prefrontal activation in bipolar and unipolar depression patients in the letter fluency tasks and category fluency tasks: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Distinguishing bipolar disorder (BD) from unipolar depression (UD) remains a critical clinical challenge. Improved diagnostic accuracy could enhance therapeutic outcomes for both conditions. This study aims to (1) identify functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based biomarkers differentiating BD from UD, and (2) compare frontotemporal hemodynamic responses during phonological (LFT) and semantic (CFT) verbal fluency tasks.

Methods

We recruited 100 participants: 33 with UD, 34 with BD, and 33 healthy controls (HC). Cortical oxygenation changes ([oxy-Hb]) were recorded using 52-channel fNIRS during LFT and CFT performance.

Findings

The [oxy-Hb] activation in the UD and BD groups was lower compared to the HC group. Most channels demonstrated the [oxy-Hb

SUBMITTER: Hui J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12507886 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature