Dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex structural changes relative to suicidal ideation in patients with...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a critical role in major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicidal behavior.
• Structural brain alterations in individuals with MDD and suicidal ideation remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gray matter volume (GMV) differences in the PFC among individuals with MDD and suicidal ideation, MDD without suicidal ideation, and healthy controls.
• To determine if specific PFC volumetric alterations contribute to suicidal ideation in MDD.

Main Methods:

• Voxel-based morphometric analysis of T1-weighted MRI scans.
• Comparison of PFC GMV across three groups: MDD with suicidal ideation (n=35), MDD without suicidal ideation (n=38), and healthy controls (HC, n=43).

Main Results:

• Individuals with MDD and suicidal ideation showed reduced GMV in the left and right dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) and right ventrolateral PFC (VLPFC) compared to HC and MDD without suicidal ideation groups.
• The MDD without suicidal ideation group exhibited reduced left DLPFC GMV compared to the HC group.
• Left DLPFC reductions were associated with both MDD and suicidal ideation; right DLPFC and right VLPFC reductions were specifically linked to suicidal ideation.

Conclusions:

• Specific reductions in left DLPFC GMV are associated with major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation.
• Diminished GMV in the right DLPFC and right VLPFC are uniquely associated with suicidal ideation in the context of MDD.
• These findings elucidate neuropathological changes underlying suicidal ideation in MDD, aiding in understanding its neurobiological basis.