Depression After TBI Clinically Distinct From Major Depressive Disorder

Depression that occurs after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is clinically distinct from major depressive disorder (MDD), according to data gathered from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) mapping of the brain connections. Based on an analysis of fMRI data from five groups of study participants, people with TBI-associated depression had a different brain connectivity profile than people with TBI only, MDD-only, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The differences led the researchers to propose “TBI affective disorder” to describe the condition. The differences pertain to the dorsal attention network (DAN), the default mode network (DMN), and subgenual cingulate . . .