Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Reveals Abnormal Hemodynamics in the Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex of Menopausal Depression Patients

Abstract

Background/Objective. Menopausal depression (MD) is characterized by depressive symptoms along with hormonal fluctuations. We investigate brain function alteration between major depressive disorder (MDD) and MD.Methods. The difference in oxygenated hemoglobin (Oxy-Hb) for the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was compared retrospectively among 90 females presented with 30 MDD, 30 MD, and 30 healthy controls (HCs) using verbal fluency task (VFT) with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).Results. We observed a significant difference in Oxy-Hb alteration in the left dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) using VFT with NIRS (channel 18,P=0.007) between the MD and MDD groups. A significant difference in Oxy-Hb levels was observed among the three groups in the bilateral DLPFC (channels 18, 27, 33, 39, 41, and 45;P<0.05). Compared to the HCs, the MD group presented lower Oxy-Hb activation in the right DLPFC (channel 41;P=0.048) and the left DLPFC (channels 18, 39, and 45;P<0.05), and the MDD group presented lower Oxy-Hb activation in the right DLPFC (channels 27, 33, and 41;P<0.05) and the left DLPFC (channels 39 and 45;P<0.05).Conclusion. Abnormal hemodynamics of the left DLPFC can differentiate MD from MDD by NIRS.