Macromolecular White Matter Abnormalities in Geriatric Depression: A Magnetization Transfer Imaging Study

Objective Geriatric depression consists of complex and heterogeneous behaviors unlikely to be caused by a single brain lesion. However, abnormalities in specific brain structures and their interconnections may confer vulnerability to the development of late-life depression. The objective of this stu...

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Published in:The American journal of geriatric psychiatry 2008-04, Vol.16 (4), p.255-262
Main Authors: Gunning-Dixon, Faith M., Ph.D, Hoptman, Matthew J., Ph.D, Lim, Kelvin O., M.D, Murphy, Christopher F., Ph.D, Klimstra, Sibel, M.D, Latoussakis, Vassilios, M.D, Majcher-Tascio, Magdalena, B.A, Hrabe, Jan, Ph.D, Ardekani, Babak A., Ph.D, Alexopoulos, George S., M.D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Brain - anatomy & histology
Brain - pathology
Depression - pathology
Depressive Disorder - pathology
Female
Geriatric depression
Humans
Internal Medicine
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
magnetization transfer imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Patient Selection
Reference Values
white matter
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Summary:Objective Geriatric depression consists of complex and heterogeneous behaviors unlikely to be caused by a single brain lesion. However, abnormalities in specific brain structures and their interconnections may confer vulnerability to the development of late-life depression. The objective of this study was to identify subtle white matter abnormalities in late-life depression. Design The authors used magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) imaging, a technique that is thought primarily to reflect myelin integrity, to examine the hypothesis that individuals with late-life depression would exhibit white matter abnormalities in frontostriatal and limbic regions. Setting The study was conducted in a university-based, geriatric psychiatry clinic. Participants Fifty-five older patients with major depression and 24 elderly comparison subjects were assessed. Measurement Voxel-based analysis of MTR data were conducted with a general linear model using age as a covariate. Results Relative to comparison subjects, patients demonstrated lower MTR in multiple left hemisphere frontostriatal and limbic regions, including white matter lateral to the lentiform nuclei, dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal, dorsal anterior cingulate, subcallosal, periamygdalar, insular, and posterior cingulate regions. Depressed patients had lower MTR in additional left hemisphere locales including the thalamus, splenium of the corpus callosum, inferior parietal, precuneus, and middle occipital white matter regions. Conclusion These findings suggest that geriatric depression may be characterized by reduced myelin integrity in specific aspects of frontostriatal and limbic networks, and complement diffusion tensor studies of geriatric depression that indicate decreased organization of white matter fibers in specific frontal and temporal regions.
ISSN:1064-7481
1545-7214
DOI:10.1097/JGP.0000300628.33669.03