Decrease
in cerebral gray matter volume and the duration
of depression
Postmortem
and neuroimaging studies have shown structural
abnormalities in brain associated with total
lifetime duration of depression. More
particularly, decreased hippocampal volume and
morphological alterations in the frontal cortex,
basal ganglia, and cerebellum have been
described. A recent study investigated a
possible link between duration of depressive
illness and volume changes in cerebral gray
matter in patients with recurrent
depression.
Twenty-three female patients whose onset of
major depressive disorder occurred before the
age of 45 were included. Magnetic resonance
imaging was used for quantitative assessments of
intracranial and total brain volumes, gray
matter and white matter volumes of the cerebrum,
frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital
regions, cerebellum, and the lateral and third
ventricles. The mean age at onset of the first
depressive episode was 33.4 years and the median
cumulative duration of the depressive episodes
was 75 months. There were negative correlations,
after correction for intracranial volume and
age, between the duration of depression and
volumes of total cerebral gray matter, frontal
gray matter, temporal gray matter, and parietal
gray matter.
Thus, in addition to the decreased hippocampal
volume previously reported, it appears that gray
matter changes in the brains of depressed
patients are related to the duration of
depressive episodes. Larger studies with a
control group are necessary to confirm these
interesting findings and reinforce the
conclusions. Lampe
et al., 2003 Association of depression duration
with reduction of global cerebral gray matter
volume in female patients with recurrent major
depressive disorder. Am
J Psychiatry 160: 2052-2054.