Abnormal intrinsic functional hubs and connectivity in patients with post‐stroke depression

Objective The present study aimed to investigate the specific alterations of brain networks in patients with post‐stroke depression (PSD), and further assist in elucidating the brain mechanisms underlying the PSD which would provide supporting evidence for early diagnosis and interventions for the disease. Methods Resting‐state functional magnetic resonace imaging data were acquired from 82 nondepressed stroke patients (Stroke), 39 PSD patients, and 74 healthy controls (HC). Voxel‐wise degree centrality (DC) conjoined with seed‐based functional connectivity (FC) analyses were performed to investigate the PSD‐related connectivity alterations. The relationship between these alterations and depression severity was further examined in PSD patients. Results Relative to both Stroke and HC groups, (1) PSD showed increased centrality in regions within the default mode network (DMN), including contralesional angular gyrus (ANG), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and hippocampus (HIP). DC values in contralesional ANG positively correlated with the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9) scores in PSD group. (2) PSD exhibited increased connectivity between these three seeds showing altered DC and regions within the DMN: bilateral medial prefrontal cortex and middle temporal gyrus and ipsilesional superior parietal gyrus, and regions outside the DMN: bilateral calcarine, ipsilesional inferior occipital gyrus and contralesional lingual gyrus, while decreased connectivity between contralesional ANG and contralesional supramarginal gyrus. Moreover, these FC alterations could predict PHQ‐9 scores in PSD group. Interpretation These findings highlight that PSD was related with increased functional connectivity strength in some areas within the DMN, which might be attribute to the specific alterations of connectivity between within DMN and outside DMN regions in PSD.