Li Jing, Wang Zengjian, Hwang JiWon, Zhao Bingcong, Yang Xinjing, Xin Suicheng, Wang Yu, Jiang Huili, Shi Peng, Zhang Ye, Wang Xu, Lang Courtney, Park Joel, Bao Tuya, Kong Jian
School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijng, China.
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA.
Neuroimage Clin. 2017 Mar 1;14:546-551. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.02.022. eCollection 2017.
Subthreshold depression (StD) is associated with substantial functional impairments due to depressive symptoms that do not fully meet the diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD). Its high incidence in the general population and debilitating symptoms has recently put it at the forefront of mood disorder research.
In this study we investigated common volumetric brain changes in both young and middle-aged StD patients.
Two cohorts of StD patients, young and middle-aged, ( = 57) and matched controls ( = 76) underwent voxel-based morphometry (VBM).
VBM analysis found that: 1) compared with healthy controls, StD patients showed decreased gray matter volume (GMV) in the bilateral globus pallidus and precentral gyrus, as well as increased GMV in the left thalamus and right rostral anterior cingulate cortex/medial prefrontal cortex; 2) there is a significant association between Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale scores and the bilateral globus pallidus (negative) and left thalamus (positive); 3) there is no interaction between age (young vs. middle-age) and group (StD vs. controls).
Our findings indicate significant VBM brain changes in both young and middle-aged individuals with StD. Individuals with StD, regardless of age, may share common neural characteristics.
阈下抑郁（StD）与严重的功能损害相关，因为其抑郁症状未完全达到重度抑郁症（MDD）的诊断标准。它在普通人群中的高发病率及其使人衰弱的症状最近使其成为情绪障碍研究的前沿。
在本研究中，我们调查了年轻和中年StD患者常见的脑容量变化。
两组StD患者，年轻组和中年组（n = 57）以及匹配的对照组（n = 76）接受了基于体素的形态学分析（VBM）。
VBM分析发现：1）与健康对照组相比，StD患者双侧苍白球和中央前回的灰质体积（GMV）减少，左丘脑和右喙前扣带回皮质/内侧前额叶皮质的GMV增加；2）流行病学研究中心抑郁量表评分与双侧苍白球（负相关）和左丘脑（正相关）之间存在显著关联；3）年龄（年轻与中年）和组（StD与对照组）之间没有交互作用。
我们的研究结果表明，年轻和中年StD患者的VBM脑变化显著。无论年龄大小，StD患者可能具有共同的神经特征。
