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Meta-analysis of Voxel-Based Neuroimaging Studies using Seed-based d Mapping with Permutation of Subject Images (SDM-PSI)
Published on: November 27, 2019
Reduced thalamic volumes in major depressive disorder
Allison Carol Nugent1, Rebecca Marie Davis, Carlos Alberto Zarate
1Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. nugenta@mail.nih.gov
Psychiatry Research
|July 16, 2013
Summary
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is linked to altered brain circuits. This study found smaller thalamus and hippocampus volumes in depressed individuals, suggesting these changes may contribute to MDD pathophysiology.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
Background:
- Altered function in the limbic-cortical-striatial-pallidal-thalamic (LCSPT) circuit is implicated in major depressive disorder (MDD).
- Subcortical brain regions play a crucial role in emotional regulation and cognitive processes affected in MDD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate subcortical volumetric differences in individuals with MDD compared to healthy controls.
- To explore volumetric changes in MDD patients currently experiencing depression versus those in remission.
Main Methods:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to scan 142 MDD subjects, 72 MDD subjects in remission, and 169 healthy controls.
- Subcortical volumes were extracted using FMRIB's Integrated Registration and Segmentation Tool (FIRST).
Main Results:
- Depressed MDD subjects showed significantly smaller bilateral thalamus and hippocampus volumes than controls.
- Differences in bilateral thalamus volume remained significant after controlling for total intracranial volume (TIV).
- In a matched subset, depressed MDD subjects differed from remitted and healthy subjects in bilateral thalamus, right caudate, hippocampus, and pallidum volumes, though these were not significant after TIV correction.
Conclusions:
- Volumetric reductions in the thalamus and hippocampus may underlie LCSPT circuit dysfunction in MDD.
- These findings support the role of subcortical structural changes in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder.
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