Kim M Justin, Hamilton J Paul, Gotlib Ian H
Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States.
Psychiatry Res. 2008 Nov 30;164(2):114-22. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2007.12.020. Epub 2008 Oct 19.
Previous brain-imaging studies have reported that major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by decreased volumes of several cortical and subcortical structures, including the hippocampus, amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, and caudate nucleus. The purpose of the present study was to identify structural volumetric differences between MDD and healthy participants using a method that allows a comparison of gray and white matter volume across the whole brain. In addition, we explored the relation between symptom severity and brain regions with decreased volumes in MDD participants. The study group comprised 22 women diagnosed with MDD and 25 healthy women with no history of major psychiatric disorders. Magnetic resonance brain images were analyzed using optimized voxel-based morphometry to examine group differences in regional gray and white matter volume. Compared with healthy controls, MDD participants were found to have decreased gray matter volume in the bilateral caudate nucleus and the thalamus. No group differences were found for white matter volume, nor were there significant correlations between gray matter volumes and symptom severity within the MDD group. The present results suggest that smaller volume of the caudate nucleus may be related to the pathophysiology of MDD and may account for abnormalities of the cortico-striatal-pallido-thalamic loop in MDD.
先前的脑成像研究报告称，重度抑郁症（MDD）的特征是包括海马体、杏仁核、前扣带回皮质和尾状核在内的几个皮质和皮质下结构的体积减小。本研究的目的是使用一种能够比较全脑灰质和白质体积的方法，确定MDD患者与健康参与者之间的结构体积差异。此外，我们还探讨了MDD患者症状严重程度与体积减小的脑区之间的关系。研究组包括22名被诊断为MDD的女性和25名无重大精神疾病史的健康女性。使用优化的基于体素的形态测量法分析磁共振脑图像，以检查区域灰质和白质体积的组间差异。与健康对照组相比，发现MDD患者双侧尾状核和丘脑的灰质体积减小。白质体积未发现组间差异，MDD组内灰质体积与症状严重程度之间也无显著相关性。目前的结果表明，尾状核体积较小可能与MDD的病理生理学有关，并可能解释MDD中皮质-纹状体-苍白球-丘脑环路的异常。
