Hippocampal/amygdala volumes in geriatric depression - PubMed (original) (raw)

Comparative Study

Hippocampal/amygdala volumes in geriatric depression

M Ashtari et al. Psychol Med. 1999 May.

Abstract

Background: The hippocampus, amygdala and related functional circuits have been implicated in the regulation of emotional expression and memory processes, which are affected in major depression. Several recent investigations have reported abnormalities in these structures in adult and elderly depressives.

Methods: Elderly DSM-III-R unipolar depressives (N = 40) and normal controls (N = 46) participated in a magnetic resonance imaging study (1.0T). Brain images were obtained in the coronal plane. Using established anatomical guidelines for structure delineation, volumetric measurements of left and right hippocampus and anterior hippocampus/amygdala complex were completed under blinded conditions using a semi-automated computer mensuration system, with patients and controls in random order.

Results: Medial temporal volumes did not significantly distinguish either elderly depressed and age-similar normal control subjects, or late onset and early onset depressed patients (ANCOVA). Major overlap of measured volumes existed between patient and control groups. In depressives, hippocampal volumes significantly correlated with age, and cognitive and depression ratings, but not with number of prior depressive episodes or age-at-onset of first depression.

Conclusions: Hippocampal volumes do not discriminate a typical clinical population of elderly depressed patients from age-similar normal control subjects. If hippocampal dysfunction contributes to a diagnosis of syndromal depression in the elderly, such dysfunction does not appear to be regularly reflected in structural abnormalities captured by volumetric measurement as conducted. On the other hand, relationships between hippocampal volumes and clinical phenomena in depressives, but not controls, suggest potentially meaningful interactions between hippocampal structure and the expression of major depression in the elderly.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

• Hippocampal and amygdalar volumes in psychotic and nonpsychotic unipolar depression.
  Keller J, Shen L, Gomez RG, Garrett A, Solvason HB, Reiss A, Schatzberg AF. Keller J, et al. Am J Psychiatry. 2008 Jul;165(7):872-80. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.07081257. Epub 2008 May 1. Am J Psychiatry. 2008. PMID: 18450931 Free PMC article.
• Hippocampal volume in geriatric depression.
  Steffens DC, Byrum CE, McQuoid DR, Greenberg DL, Payne ME, Blitchington TF, MacFall JR, Krishnan KR. Steffens DC, et al. Biol Psychiatry. 2000 Aug 15;48(4):301-9. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3223(00)00829-5. Biol Psychiatry. 2000. PMID: 10960161
• A magnetic resonance imaging study of hippocampal, amygdala and subgenual prefrontal cortex volumes in major depression subtypes: melancholic versus psychotic depression.
  Vassilopoulou K, Papathanasiou M, Michopoulos I, Boufidou F, Oulis P, Kelekis N, Rizos E, Nikolaou C, Pantelis C, Velakoulis D, Lykouras L. Vassilopoulou K, et al. J Affect Disord. 2013 Apr 5;146(2):197-204. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2012.09.003. Epub 2012 Sep 25. J Affect Disord. 2013. PMID: 23021193
• Volumetric MRI studies of the hippocampus in major depressive disorder: Meanings of inconsistency and directions for future research.
  Eker C, Gonul AS. Eker C, et al. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2010 Feb;11(1):19-35. doi: 10.1080/15622970902737998. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2010. PMID: 19347777 Review.
• Subgenual anterior cingulate cortex and hippocampal volumes in depressed youth: The role of comorbidity and age.
  Jaworska N, Yücel K, Courtright A, MacMaster FP, Sembo M, MacQueen G. Jaworska N, et al. J Affect Disord. 2016 Jan 15;190:726-732. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.10.064. Epub 2015 Nov 12. J Affect Disord. 2016. PMID: 26600415 Review.

Cited by

• Techniques for brain imaging in vivo.
  Garcia-Alloza M, Bacskai BJ. Garcia-Alloza M, et al. Neuromolecular Med. 2004;6(1):65-78. doi: 10.1385/NMM:6:1:065. Neuromolecular Med. 2004. PMID: 15781977 Review.
• The brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism, hippocampal volume, and cognitive function in geriatric depression.
  Benjamin S, McQuoid DR, Potter GG, Payne ME, MacFall JR, Steffens DC, Taylor WD. Benjamin S, et al. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2010 Apr;18(4):323-31. doi: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e3181cabd2b. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2010. PMID: 20220593 Free PMC article.
• Childhood trauma associated with smaller hippocampal volume in women with major depression.
  Vythilingam M, Heim C, Newport J, Miller AH, Anderson E, Bronen R, Brummer M, Staib L, Vermetten E, Charney DS, Nemeroff CB, Bremner JD. Vythilingam M, et al. Am J Psychiatry. 2002 Dec;159(12):2072-80. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.159.12.2072. Am J Psychiatry. 2002. PMID: 12450959 Free PMC article.
• Survey of protocols for the manual segmentation of the hippocampus: preparatory steps towards a joint EADC-ADNI harmonized protocol.
  Boccardi M, Ganzola R, Bocchetta M, Pievani M, Redolfi A, Bartzokis G, Camicioli R, Csernansky JG, de Leon MJ, deToledo-Morrell L, Killiany RJ, Lehéricy S, Pantel J, Pruessner JC, Soininen H, Watson C, Duchesne S, Jack CR Jr, Frisoni GB. Boccardi M, et al. J Alzheimers Dis. 2011;26 Suppl 3(0 3):61-75. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2011-0004. J Alzheimers Dis. 2011. PMID: 21971451 Free PMC article.
• Depressive Symptoms and Amygdala Volume in Elderly with Cerebral Small Vessel Disease: The RUN DMC Study.
  van Uden IW, van Norden AG, de Laat KF, van Oudheusden LJ, Gons RA, Tendolkar I, Zwiers MP, de Leeuw FE. van Uden IW, et al. J Aging Res. 2011;2011:647869. doi: 10.4061/2011/647869. Epub 2011 Oct 6. J Aging Res. 2011. PMID: 22007299 Free PMC article.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

• Full Text Sources

  • Ovid Technologies, Inc.