Investigation of the emotional network in depression after stroke: A study of multivariate Granger causality analysis of fMRI data.

•This is the first study to examine time-directed dynamic relations in depression after stroke (DAS).•We found a ventromedial prefrontal cortex-anterior cingulate cortex – amygdala – thalamus emotional circuit to explain the network in DAS.•The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and temporal pole play an important role in the emotional regulation of DAS.•The function of the insular is regulated negatively by the thalamus.