Journal of International Psychiatry

[Abstract] Objective: To explore the correlation between the echogenicity of the raphe nuclei and cerebrovascular reactivity in patients with depression. Methods: Sixty patients with depression who visited the psychiatric outpatient clinic of our hospital from January 2023 to September 2023 were chosen as the study group, and 70 healthy individuals undergoing physical examination during the same period served as the control group. Clinical data, BHI (Breath-Holding Index), and the positive rate of echogenicity abnormalities of the raphe nuclei were recorded and compared between the two groups. The correlation between HAMD (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) scores and both BHI and echogenicity abnormalities of the raphe nucleiwere then analyzed. Results: There were no significant differences in the basic clinical data between the two groups (P>0.05). The BHI of the study group (0.58±0.09) was significantly higher than that of the control group (0.84±0.10, t=-14.862, P=0.000, P<0.05). The positive rate of decreased echogenicity of the raphe nuclei in the study group (87.5% vs. 28.6%, x2=27.857, P=0.000) was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05), with no significant differences in other indices (P>0.05). The decrease in echogenicity of the raphe nuclei in the study group was negatively correlated with the HAMD score (r=-0.325; P=0.011); however, there was no linear correlation between BHI and the HAMD score (r=-0.221; P>0.05). Conclusion: A negative correlation exists between the decreased echogenicity of the raphe nuclei and the HAMD scores. Transcranial sonography (TCS) detection of raphe nuclei echogenicity can serve as an auxiliary method for diagnosing depression in patients who are unable to fully cooperate with depression scale evaluations.

Depression ;Midline nucleusecho ;BHI Index ;Cerebral Vascular Reactivity