Summary of Frontoamygdalar Effective Connectivity in Youth Depression and Treatment Response

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) targets enhancing reappraisal skills to reduce negative emotional states and alleviate symptoms of depression.

The authors employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and dynamic causal modeling to characterize frontoamygdalar connectivity.

Dynamic causal modeling (DCM) calculates the directional influence of brain regions.

Stronger inhibitory connections between the frontal cortex and the amygdala were correlated with a lower likelihood of a depression diagnosis.

Weaker excitatory frontoamygdalar connections were linked to positive treatment outcomes.