Table 1.
Reasons for exclusion of volunteers from the current study
| Reasons for Telephone Pre-Screening Exclusions | N |
|---|---|
| MRI contraindications | 77 |
| Psychiatric disorders other than MDD | 54 |
| Current antidepressants or other centrally active medications | 52 |
| Withdrawal after telephone pre-screening | 33 |
| Not meeting full screening criteria for MDD | 30 |
| Family history of MDD/bipolar/schizophrenia (HC group) | 26 |
| Substance or alcohol abuse | 23 |
| Current antihypertensive or statin medications | 20 |
| Left-handed | 20 |
| Non-native English speaker | 19 |
| Thyroid function problems | 19 |
| Fulfilling criteria for current MDD | 13 |
| History of cancer | 7 |
| Not remitted for long enough (≥6 months) | 7 |
| Epilepsy | 5 |
| No reason recorded | 5 |
| Other general medical conditions | 5 |
| Diabetes | 4 |
| Out of age range (18 – 65 years) | 4 |
| Excluded because of age-matching (HC group) | 3 |
| Multiple sclerosis | 3 |
| History of stroke | 1 |
| Vitamin D deficiency | 1 |
| Total excluded after the telephone pre-screening | 431 / 707 |
| Reasons for Clinical Interview Exclusions (remitted MDD patients) | N |
| Unable to schedule for additional visits | 10 |
| Fulfilling criteria for a bipolar disorder | 6 |
| Fulfilling criteria for current social anxiety disorder | 6 |
| Not meeting full criteria for MDD | 5 |
| Fulfilling criteria for past substance abuse | 4 |
| Not remitted for long enough (≥6 months) | 3 |
| Residual symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder | 3 |
| Probable personality disorders | 2 |
| Fulfilling criteria for current generalized anxiety disorder | 1 |
| MRI contraindications | 1 |
| Withdrawal after the clinical interview | 1 |
| Total number of remitted MDD patients excluded after the clinical interview | 42 / 138 |
| Reasons for Clinical Interview Exclusions (HC group) | N |
| Unable to schedule for additional visits | 6 |
| Probable or definite positive first degree family history of MDD | 4 |
| Fulfilling criteria for a past MDE lasting less than two months | 1 |
| Fulfilling criteria for current adjustment disorder | 1 |
| Fulfilling criteria for current MDD | 1 |
| Fulfilling criteria for current social anxiety disorder | 1 |
| Non-native English speaker | 1 |
| Past depressive episode not fulfilling criteria for a past MDE | 1 |
| Total number of HC participants excluded after the clinical interview | 16 / 64 |
Of the 707 volunteers who completed the telephone pre-screening, 276 were eligible (184 remitted MDD patients, 92 HC participants). Of these, 202 participants agreed to complete the clinical interview after having reviewed the study’s participant information sheet (138 remitted MDD patients, 64 HC participants). Following the clinical interview, 144 participants were eligible to complete the remaining study visits (96 remitted MDD patients, 48 HC participants). Of these, 102 participants underwent resting-state fMRI scanning (63 remitted MDD patients, 39 HC participants). fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging; HC, healthy control; MDD, major depressive disorder; MDE, major depressive episode.