Resting-state functional connectome correlates of suicide attempt history and childhood trauma in major depressive disorder

초록

Background A prior suicide attempt is the strongest predictor of subsequent suicide mortality in major depressive disorder (MDD); however, the functional network architecture distinguishing individuals with and without a history of suicide attempts remains incompletely characterized. We applied a connectome-wide functional connectivity (FC) framework to identify FC alterations associated with suicide attempt history in MDD and examine their relationships with suicidal ideation and childhood trauma. Methods Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained from 204 participants (suicidal depression [SD] = 61, non-suicidal depression [NSD] = 62, healthy controls [HC] = 81). FC matrices were constructed using the Schaefer 400-node atlas. Group differences were examined using network-based statistics (NBS) and graph-theoretical measures. Results NBS identified a significant subnetwork exhibiting lower FC in the SD group than in the NSD group (pFWE = 0.038), spanning the visual (VIS), somatomotor (SMN), dorsal attention (DAN), frontoparietal (FPN), and default mode (DMN) networks. Compared with the HC group, the SD group exhibited hypo- and hyperconnected subnetworks, whereas the NSD group showed no significant differences in FC. Graph-theoretical analyses revealed reduced strength, global efficiency, and betweenness centrality within the SD < NSD subnetwork. In the MDD group, mean subnetwork FC, SMN–VIS, and DMN–DMN FC were negatively correlated with suicidal ideation. In the SD group, SMN–SMN FC correlated inversely with childhood sexual abuse. Conclusions These findings suggest that hypoconnectivity across sensory, attentional, and self-referential systems may represent a connectome-level signature of suicide vulnerability in MDD and link childhood sexual abuse to suicide risk. © 2026 Elsevier B.V.

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