TY - JOUR
T1 - Volumetric alterations in subregions of the amygdala in adults with major depressive disorder
AU - Kim, Hyeyoung
AU - Han, Kyu Man
AU - Choi, Kwan Woo
AU - Tae, Woo Suk
AU - Kang, Wooyoung
AU - Kang, Youbin
AU - Kim, Aram
AU - Ham, Byung Joo
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology ( NRF-2020M3E5D9080792 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2021/12/1
Y1 - 2021/12/1
N2 - Background: Although major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with volumetric abnormalities in the amygdala, studies investigating the association between structural alterations of the amygdala and depression have yielded varying results. Since the amygdala comprises several subregions, it is difficult to detect subtle regional changes by measuring the total amygdala volume. This study aimed to examine the volume in each amygdala subregion in adults with and without a diagnosis of MDD. Methods: A total of 147 participants with a current history of major depression and 144 healthy participants ranging in age from 19 to 64 years underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging scanning. Automatic segmentation of the nine nuclei of the amygdala was performed using FreeSurfer. One-way analysis of covariance, with individual volumes as dependent variables, and age, sex, and total intracranial volume as covariates, was performed to analyze volume differences. Results: Patients with MDD had significantly lower volumes of the entire amygdala and subregions, including the lateral nucleus and anterior amygdaloid area, than healthy volunteers (HCs). There were no significant associations between subregion volumes and antidepressant use, illness duration, or depression severity. Limitations: Our cross-sectional design cannot provide a causal relationship between the volume change in the amygdala subregion and the risk of MDD. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that specific amygdala subregions are more susceptible to volumetric alterations in patients with MDD than in HCs. These findings may advance our understanding of the neuroanatomic basis on MDD.
AB - Background: Although major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with volumetric abnormalities in the amygdala, studies investigating the association between structural alterations of the amygdala and depression have yielded varying results. Since the amygdala comprises several subregions, it is difficult to detect subtle regional changes by measuring the total amygdala volume. This study aimed to examine the volume in each amygdala subregion in adults with and without a diagnosis of MDD. Methods: A total of 147 participants with a current history of major depression and 144 healthy participants ranging in age from 19 to 64 years underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging scanning. Automatic segmentation of the nine nuclei of the amygdala was performed using FreeSurfer. One-way analysis of covariance, with individual volumes as dependent variables, and age, sex, and total intracranial volume as covariates, was performed to analyze volume differences. Results: Patients with MDD had significantly lower volumes of the entire amygdala and subregions, including the lateral nucleus and anterior amygdaloid area, than healthy volunteers (HCs). There were no significant associations between subregion volumes and antidepressant use, illness duration, or depression severity. Limitations: Our cross-sectional design cannot provide a causal relationship between the volume change in the amygdala subregion and the risk of MDD. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that specific amygdala subregions are more susceptible to volumetric alterations in patients with MDD than in HCs. These findings may advance our understanding of the neuroanatomic basis on MDD.
KW - Amygdala
KW - Magnetic resonance imaging
KW - Major depressive disorder
KW - Subregion morphology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85113262952&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.012
DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.012
M3 - Article
C2 - 34419778
AN - SCOPUS:85113262952
SN - 0165-0327
VL - 295
SP - 108
EP - 115
JO - Journal of Affective Disorders
JF - Journal of Affective Disorders
ER -