Same depression diagnosis, opposite brain patterns: Five profiles emerge
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According to the World Health Organization, depression affects roughly 332 million (5.2%) adults globally. In Finland, depression is the most common single cause of both prolonged absences due to illness and disability pensions. Because two people with considerably different symptoms may receive the same depression diagnosis, researchers at the University of Helsinki wanted to determine whether this individuality also appears in brain activity.
The team measured brain activity in 263 people with major depressive disorder and 75 healthy control subjects. The analysis identified five groups with differing patterns of functional connectivity between brain regions. This connectivity reflects how well the regions function together, mirroring communication between them.
"What was particularly interesting was the contrasting patterns of brain activity found under the umbrella of the same depression diagnoses. In some individuals, the functional connectivity between brain regions was stronger than usual, while in others it was weaker," says Satu Palva, director of the Neuroscience Center at the University of Helsinki.
One group had particularly strong connectivity between regions, which was associated with more severe substance abuse. In another group, where functional connectivity between regions was weak, post-traumatic stress disorder was more pronounced among the symptoms.
These findings may explain some of the conflicting results of previous depression studies. The same diagnosis may be associated with entirely opposite changes in brain activity. The study, published in Nature Mental Health, supports the idea that depression is not biologically the same disease for everyone.
Five brain profiles for depression
The researchers divided the patients with depression into five groups according to the strength and frequency of connectivity between brain regions.
- Group 1. Fairly strong connectivity between brain regions. Broadly severe symptoms, with depression, anxiety, rumination and reduced functional capacity pronounced.
- Group 2. Weak connectivity between brain regions. Milder symptoms compared with other groups.
- Group 3. Weak connectivity between brain regions across a large part of the brain. PTSD particularly pronounced.
- Group 4. Varying connectivity between brain regions; some connections were weak, others strong. Depression severity, substance abuse and poor well-being were pronounced.
- Group 5. The strongest connectivity between brain regions among the groups. Substance abuse was pronounced, with fewer traumatic symptoms than in other groups.
All five groups also differed from healthy control subjects. The difference was evident not only in the strength of connectivity but also in the brain regions affected and the frequency at which the connectivity occurred.
Brain activity recorded with millisecond precision
The researchers used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to measure brain activity in the study participants. MEG measures weak magnetic fields generated by electrical activity in the brain.
"MEG enabled us to monitor electrical brain activity with millisecond precision, helping us get closer to what actually happens in the brain at any given moment. Previously, depression phenotypes have been studied using methods with slower responses," Palva notes.
Toward increasingly precise care
However, brain measurements alone are not enough to choose the appropriate treatment for individual patients. "We're not yet at the point where brain measurements can be used to choose the right treatment for patients, but the study does show one possible route," Palva says.
In the long run, the goal is to link patients' symptoms with how their brains function. In the future, brain activity measurements could help identify suitable therapies faster than current practice, which relies more on trial and error.
Publication details
Wenya Liu et al, Magnetoencephalography oscillation-based functional connectivity identifies clinically relevant depression phenotypes, Nature Mental Health (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s44220-026-00723-4
Journal information: Nature Mental Health
Key medical concepts
Major Depressive DisorderMagnetoencephalographyPost-Traumatic Stress DisorderAbuse, Substance
Clinical categories
PsychiatryPsychology & Mental healthNeurology Provided by University of Helsinki Who's behind this story?
Lisa Lock
BA art history, MA material culture. Former museum editor, paramedic, and transplant coordinator. Editing for Science X since 2021. Full profile →
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