Hyperconnectivity in an introspective socio-affective network model in major depression

Overview: Alterations of affective and introspective processing are thought to play an important role in the etiology of major depression (MDD). The associated neurobiology, however, remains elusive. To test for pathological changes of such processes in MDD, we applied a model-based analysis approach to investigate functional connectivity (FC) within an introspective socio-affective (ISA) network. In line with recent findings suggestive of a 'hyperconnectivity hypothesis' of depression [1], we hypothesized to find a pathologically increased neurofunctional coupling within the ISA network in depressed patients. M…