Distinctive intrinsic functional connectivity alterations of anterior cingulate cortex subdivisions in major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Evidence of whether the intrinsic functional connectivity of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and its subregions is altered in major depressive disorder (MDD) remains inconclusive. A systematic review and meta-analysis were therefore performed on the whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) studies using the ACC and its subregions as seed regions in MDD, in order to draw more reliable conclusions. Forty-four ACC-based rsFC studies were included, comprising 25 subgenual ACC-based studies, 11 pregenual ACC-based studies, and 17 dorsal ACC-based studies. Specific alterations of rsFC were identified for each ACC subregion in patients with MDD, with altered rsFC of subgenual ACC in emotion-related brain regions, of pregenual ACC in sensorimotor-related regions, and of dorsal ACC in cognition-related regions. Furthermore, meta-regression analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between the pgACC-caudate hypoconnectivity and percentage of female patients in the study cohort. This meta-analysis provides robust evidence of altered intrinsic functional connectivity of the ACC subregions in MDD, which may hold relevance to understanding the origin of, and treating, the emotional, sensorimotor and cognitive dysfunctions that are often observed in these patients.