Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping of Brain Iron Deposition in Patients With Recurrent Depression

Recurrence is the most significant feature of depression and the relationship between iron and recurrent depression is still lack of direct evidence in vivo.

Twenty-one patients with depression and twenty control subjects were included. Gradient-recalled echo, T1 and T2 images were acquired using a 3.0T MRI system. After quantitative susceptibility mapping were reconstructed and standardized, a whole-brain and the regions of interest were respectively analyzed.

Significant increases in susceptibility were found in multiple recurrent depression patients, which involved several brain regions (frontal lobes, temporal lobe structures, occipital lobes hippocampal regions, putamen, thalamus, cingulum, and cerebellum). Interestingly, no susceptibility changes after treatment compared to pre-treatment (all p>0.05) and no significant correlation between susceptibility and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were found. Besides, it was close to significance that those with a higher relapse frequency or a longer mean duration of single episode had a higher susceptibility in the putamen, thalamus, and hippocampus. Further studies showed susceptibility across the putamen (ρ2=0.27, p<0.001), thalamus (ρ2=0.21, p<0.001), and hippocampus (ρ2=0.19, p<0.001) were strongly correlated with total course of disease onset.

Brain iron deposition is related to the total course of disease onset, but not the severity of depression, which suggest that brain iron deposition may be a sign of brain damage in multiple recurrent depression.