Neural and Glutamatergic Correlates of Resting State Activity and Stimulus-Induced Activity in Major Depressive Disorder---Can Multimodal Imaging (fMRI and MRS) Reveal Therapeutic Predictors?

We will combine magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a study of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), so to better understand the neural substrate of negative emotions, rumination, and self‐focus. Regions of interest are the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (PACC) the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which are to be investigated during the resting state and during emotional processing. MDD patients will be examined before and after therapeutic treatment, so that we can investigate glutamatergic modulation and BOLD signals of both resting state and rest‐stimulus interaction. Our goal is to .identify neural and biochemical markers that distinguish therapeutic responders from non‐responders. Better understanding of the glutamatergic system can contribute to development of improved antidepressant treatments.