Brain grey matter volume alterations in late-life depression

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Radiology

Background:

• Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies suggest grey matter abnormalities in late-life depression (LLD) pathophysiology.
• Existing VBM findings for LLD are inconsistent and lack quantitative review.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a meta-analysis of VBM studies to identify consistent grey matter alterations in LLD.
• To quantitatively estimate regional grey matter abnormalities in LLD patients.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search for VBM studies comparing LLD patients and healthy controls.
• Meta-analysis using effect size signed differential mapping (ESM).

Main Results:

• Included 9 studies (11 datasets) with 292 LLD patients and 278 controls.
• Found grey matter reductions in the right lentiform nucleus, hippocampus, amygdala, bilateral medial frontal gyrus, and right subcallosal gyrus.
• Observed grey matter increase in the right lingual gyrus; age and sex did not significantly correlate with changes.

Conclusions:

• This meta-analysis provides robust evidence for grey matter alterations in fronto-striatal-limbic networks in LLD.
• Heterogeneity in analysis techniques, patient characteristics, and clinical variables noted.
• Medication effects cannot be ruled out as a contributing factor.