Hypofunction of directed brain network within alpha frequency band in depressive patients: a graph-theoretic analysis

Abstract

Directed brain networks may provide new insights into exploring physiological mechanism and neuromarkers for depression. This study aims to investigate the abnormalities of directed brain networks in depressive patients. We constructed the directed brain network based on resting electroencephalogram for 19 depressive patients and 20 healthy controls with eyes closed and eyes open. The weighted directed brain connectivity was measured by partial directed coherence for α, β, γ frequency band. Furthermore, topological parameters (clustering coefficient, characteristic path length, and et al.) were computed based on graph theory. The correlation between network metrics and clinical symptom was also examined. Depressive patients had a significantly weaker value of partial directed coherence at alpha frequency band in eyes-closed state. Clustering coefficient and characteristic path length were significantly lower in depressive patients (both p