A pilot study of GABA(B) correlates with resting-state functional connectivity in five depressed female adolescents

Abstract

Connectivity features based on resting-state (RS) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) demonstrate great promise as biomarkers to guide diagnosis and treatment in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, there is a pressing need for valid, reliable biomarkers closer to the bedside for clinical research and practice. This study directly compared RS-fMRI connectivity features with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) neurophysiological measures, long interval cortical inhibition (LICI) and cortical silent period (CSP), in female adolescents with MDD. LICI-200 showed the most significant associations with RS functional connectivity features, demonstrating its potential to evaluate the neurochemical underpinnings of network features in MDD.