Trait repetitive negative thinking in depression is associated with functional connectivity in negative thinking state, not resting state.

Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) has been proposed as a potential indicator of repetitive negative thinking (RNT) in depression, while inconsistent findings have been reported. This study utilized connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) to investigate whether RSFC and negative-thinking-state functional connectivity (NTFC) could predict RNT in individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Although RSFC distinguished between healthy and depressed individuals, it did not predict trait RNT (as assessed by the Ruminative Responses Scale-Brooding subscale) in depressed individuals. Conversely, NTFC predicted trait RNT in depressed individuals with significant accuracy, but could not differentiate between healthy and depressed individuals. Connectome-wide analysis revealed that negative thinking in depression was associated with higher FC between default mode and executive control regions, which was not observed in RSFC. Our findings suggest that RNT in depression is associated with an active mental process involving multiple brain regions across functional networks that is not represented in the resting state.