Krishnan K R, McDonald W M, Doraiswamy P M, Tupler L A, Husain M, Boyko O B, Figiel G S, Ellinwood E H
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1993;243(1):41-6. doi: 10.1007/BF02191522.
The etiology of depression in the elderly is poorly understood. In this study, magnetic resonance imaging was used to evaluate the role of subcortical structures in the pathophysiology of depression in the elderly. Elderly depressed patients were found to have smaller caudate nuclei, smaller putaminal complexes and in increased frequency of subcortical hyperintensities compared with normal, healthy controls. These findings were more pronounced in patients with late-onset depression. Based on these findings, the authors discuss the role of the basal ganglia in the pathophysiology of depression in the elderly.
老年人抑郁症的病因目前尚不清楚。在本研究中，磁共振成像被用于评估皮质下结构在老年抑郁症病理生理学中的作用。与正常健康对照组相比，老年抑郁症患者被发现有较小的尾状核、较小的壳核复合体以及皮质下高信号频率增加。这些发现于晚发性抑郁症患者中更为明显。基于这些发现，作者们讨论了基底神经节在老年抑郁症病理生理学中的作用。
