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Updated: Jun 22, 2026
08:20
MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder
Published on: August 11, 2015
Midline brain structures in patients with current and remitted major depression
Tsutomu Takahashi1, Murat Yücel, Valentina Lorenzetti
1Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Victoria, Australia. tsutomu@med.u-toyama.ac.jp
Summary
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is linked to shorter adhesio interthalamica (AI) length in currently depressed individuals. This brain change appears related to current symptoms, not a permanent vulnerability marker.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
Background:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with limbic-cortical region alterations.
- Midline brain structures' role in limbic-cortical connectivity and MDD markers is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate adhesio interthalamica (AI) and cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) length in MDD.
- Determine if AI/CSP changes are state or trait markers of depression.
Main Methods:
- Used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure AI and CSP length.
- Compared 29 currently depressed, 27 remitted depressed, and 33 healthy control subjects.
Main Results:
- Currently depressed patients showed significantly shorter AI length than controls.
- No significant AI length difference was found between remitted patients and controls.
- Shorter AI length correlated negatively with "loss of interest" symptom severity and was associated with comorbid anxiety disorders.
Conclusions:
- Shorter AI length in MDD may represent a state-dependent brain change, not a stable trait marker.
- Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm AI length changes over the course of illness.
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