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Association between frontal cortico-limbic white-matter microstructure and risk for pediatric depression

Mai Uchida1, Yuwen Hung2, Allison Green3

  • 1Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America.

Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging
|October 25, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Reduced white-matter connectivity in specific brain regions may indicate a risk for pediatric major depressive disorder (MDD). This finding could aid in the early identification of MDD in children.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Pediatric Psychiatry
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Pediatric major depressive disorder (MDD) poses a significant public health concern.
  • Identifying reliable biomarkers for early risk detection in children is crucial for timely intervention.
  • Previous research suggests alterations in white-matter microstructure may be associated with psychiatric conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate white-matter microstructural differences linked to pediatric MDD risk.
  • To correlate diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures with anxiety/depression scores in children.
  • To compare these findings with DTI data related to emotional dysregulation.

Main Methods:

  • Recruited 32 children (6-12 years old) of both sexes.
  • Acquired T1-weighted anatomical and diffusion-weighted imaging.
  • Utilized Track Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) for voxel-wise analysis, regressing Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores against DTI measures.

Main Results:

  • A significant negative correlation was found between fractional anisotropy (FA) and CBCL Anxiety/Depression scores.
  • This correlation was localized in the right anterior cingulum and connected corpus callosum.
  • The negative FA correlation was more pronounced for anxiety/depression scores than for emotional dysregulation scores.

Conclusions:

  • Reduced white-matter connectivity in the anterior cingulum and corpus callosum may serve as a biomarker for pediatric MDD risk.
  • These findings contribute to understanding brain differences in the development of pediatric MDD.
  • This research may facilitate earlier clinical identification of children at risk for MDD.

Keywords:
Bipolar disorderChild behavior checklistDiffusion tensor imagingEmotional dysregulationMajor depressive disorderPediatric depressionWhite matter

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