Changes of resting state fMRI brain imaging in patients with depression after antidepressant treatment

Antidepressant therapy is effective for patients with major depressive disorder, however the mechanism is unclear and it is difficult to predict the efficacy objectively. At present, the changes of local spontaneous brain activity in patients with major depressive disorder after antidepressant treatment are mostly located in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus and precuneus. The changes of brain function interaction involved in emotional circuit, default mode network, central executive network and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis.Future researches should optimize the experimental design, enlarge the sample size, reduce the sample heterogeneity, and compare the effects of different types of antidepressants. This paper reviews the effects of antidepressant therapy on brain function in patients with major depressive disorder from the perspective of resting fMRI, to promote our understanding of the mechanism of antidepressant therapy and to promote the discovery of objective biomarkers which can predict the response of antidepressant therapy. Key words: Major depressive disorder; Antidepressants; Resting state; Functional magnetic resonance imaging