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. 2023 Jun 3;23(1):395.
doi: 10.1186/s12888-023-04844-3.

Attenuated post-movement beta rebound reflects psychomotor alterations in major depressive disorder during a simple visuomotor task: a MEG study

Yi Xia #  1 , Lingling Hua #  1 , Zhongpeng Dai  2   3 , Yinglin Han  1 , Yishan Du  1 , Shuai Zhao  1 , Hongliang Zhou  1 , Xiaoqin Wang  1 , Rui Yan  1   4 , Xumiao Wang  1 , HaoWen Zou  1   4 , Hao Sun  1   4 , YingHong Huang  1   4 , ZhiJian Yao  5   6   7 , Qing Lu  8   9
Affiliations

Attenuated post-movement beta rebound reflects psychomotor alterations in major depressive disorder during a simple visuomotor task: a MEG study

Yi Xia et al. BMC Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Psychomotor alterations are a common symptom in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The primary motor cortex (M1) plays a vital role in the mechanism of psychomotor alterations. Post-movement beta rebound (PMBR) in the sensorimotor cortex is abnormal in patients with motor abnormalities. However, the changes in M1 beta rebound in patients with MDD remain unclear. This study aimed to primarily explore the relationship between psychomotor alterations and PMBR in MDD.

Methods: One hundred thirty-two subjects were enrolled in the study, comprising 65 healthy controls (HCs) and 67 MDD patients. All participants performed a simple right-hand visuomotor task during MEG scanning. PMBR was measured in the left M1 at the source reconstruction level with the time-frequency analysis method. Retardation factor scores and neurocognitive test performance, including the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), the Making Test Part A (TMT-A), and the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), were used to measure psychomotor functions. Pearson correlation analyses were used to assess relationships between PMBR and psychomotor alterations in MDD.

Results: The MDD group showed worse neurocognitive performance than the HC group in all three neurocognitive tests. The PMBR was diminished in patients with MDD compared to HCs. In a group of MDD patients, the reduced PMBR was negatively correlated with retardation factor scores. Further, there was a positive correlation between the PMBR and DSST scores. PMBR is negatively associated with the TMT-A scores.

Conclusion: Our findings suggested that the attenuated PMBR in M1 could illustrate the psychomotor disturbance in MDD, possibly contributing to clinical psychomotor symptoms and deficits of cognitive functions.

Keywords: Magnetoencephalography; Major depressive disorder; Post-movement beta rebound; Primary motor cortex; Psychomotor alterations.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Illustration of MRBD and PMBR. A Schematic representation of sensorimotor beta activity. Beta activity reduces (MRBD—blue shaded region) right before and during movement execution. After the end of movement, beta activity rapidly increases (PMBR—red shaded region). Finally, beta activity slowly returns to baseline level. B The brain distribution of MRBD and PMBR. MRBD (blue circle) is frequently found in the postcentral gyrus, while PMBR (red circle) is frequently observed in the precentral gyrus
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The procedure of the visuomotor experiment. A green light was presented duration of 0.5 s. Once the green light appeared, participants were asked to press the button with the right index finger. Green light was followed by an interval of 2.5 s (grey light)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Diagram of the processing flow. For each person, we obtained three types of data, including MRI, MEG, and neurocognitive tests. DSST, TMT-A and VFT are included. For patients with MDD, retardation factor scores were also extracted. MEG data preprocessing contained segmentation, down-sampling, visual artifact rejection and independent component analysis. The headmodels of each participant were obtained by an anatomical MRI scan. Then Using the LCMV beamformer, we then extracted the time course of the left M1 defined via the AAL template atlas. We subsequently calculated the source-level TFR of this virtual sensor timeseries. By averaging the relative power of beta within a time window of interest, a single value was computed to represent the amplitude of PMBR for each participant. Finally, we assessed the relationship between PMBR and retardation factor scores, and neurocognitive task performance
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Differences of PMBR. A The time–frequency plots of the left M1 for the MDD and HC group. Both figures illustrate that oscillatory activity in the beta band (13–30 Hz) decreases before movement and subsequently rises after movement cessation. The MDD group had a similar but weaker response compare with HCs. According to the graphs, beta power reduces approximately 0.2 s after visual cues and increases around 1 s following visual stimuli. The colour scale depicts relative power changes in comparison to the baseline level (blue colour suggests a drop, while red colour suggests an increase). B The PMBR value in MDD and HC group. ***p < 0.001
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Correlations between PMBR and psychomotor alterations controlling for age, sex and education after FDR correction. A The PMBR of the left M1 negatively correlated with retardation factor scores. B The PMBR of the left M1 had a positive relationship with DSST scores. C The PMBR of the left M1 is negatively associated with TMT-A scores
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