Amygdala substructure volumes in Major Depressive Disorder

The role of the amygdala in the experience of emotional states and stress is well established. Connections from the amygdala to the hypothalamus activate the hypothalamic–pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis and the cortisol response. Previous studies have failed to find consistent whole amygdala volume chan...

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Main Authors: Darren Roddy, John R. Kelly, Chloë Farrell, Kelly Doolin, Elena Roman, Anurag Nasa, Thomas Frodl, Andrew Harkin, Shane O'Mara, Erik O'Hanlon, Veronica O'Keane
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021-01-01
Series:NeuroImage: Clinical
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158221002254
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author Darren Roddy
John R. Kelly
Chloë Farrell
Kelly Doolin
Elena Roman
Anurag Nasa
Thomas Frodl
Andrew Harkin
Shane O'Mara
Erik O'Hanlon
Veronica O'Keane
author_facet Darren Roddy
John R. Kelly
Chloë Farrell
Kelly Doolin
Elena Roman
Anurag Nasa
Thomas Frodl
Andrew Harkin
Shane O'Mara
Erik O'Hanlon
Veronica O'Keane
author_sort Darren Roddy
collection DOAJ
description The role of the amygdala in the experience of emotional states and stress is well established. Connections from the amygdala to the hypothalamus activate the hypothalamic–pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis and the cortisol response. Previous studies have failed to find consistent whole amygdala volume changes in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), but differences may exist at the smaller substructural level of the amygdala nuclei. High-resolution T1 and T2-weighted-fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MRIs were compared between 80 patients with MDD and 83 healthy controls (HC) using the automated amygdala substructure module in FreeSurfer 6.0. Volumetric assessments were performed for individual nuclei and three anatomico-functional composite groups of nuclei. Salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR), as a measure of HPA responsivity, was measured in a subset of patients. The right medial nucleus volume was larger in MDD compared to HC (p = 0.002). Increased right-left volume ratios were found in MDD for the whole amygdala (p = 0.004), the laterobasal composite (p = 0.009) and in the central (p = 0.003) and medial (p = 0.014) nuclei. The CAR was not significantly different between MDD and HC. Within the MDD group the left corticoamygdaloid transition area was inversely correlated with the CAR, as measured by area under the curve (AUCg) (p ≤ 0.0001). In conclusion, our study found larger right medial nuclei volumes in MDD compared to HC and relatively increased right compared to left whole and substructure volume ratios in MDD. The results suggest that amygdala substructure volumes may be involved in the pathophysiology of depression.
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spelling doaj.art-83fb1eb453304b05a1e56164a00619a02022-12-21T18:32:02ZengElsevierNeuroImage: Clinical2213-15822021-01-0131102781Amygdala substructure volumes in Major Depressive DisorderDarren Roddy0John R. Kelly1Chloë Farrell2Kelly Doolin3Elena Roman4Anurag Nasa5Thomas Frodl6Andrew Harkin7Shane O'Mara8Erik O'Hanlon9Veronica O'Keane10Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, IrelandTrinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Corresponding author at: Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, IrelandTrinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, IrelandTrinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, IrelandTrinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, IrelandTrinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, GermanyTrinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, IrelandTrinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, IrelandTrinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, IrelandTrinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, IrelandThe role of the amygdala in the experience of emotional states and stress is well established. Connections from the amygdala to the hypothalamus activate the hypothalamic–pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis and the cortisol response. Previous studies have failed to find consistent whole amygdala volume changes in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), but differences may exist at the smaller substructural level of the amygdala nuclei. High-resolution T1 and T2-weighted-fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MRIs were compared between 80 patients with MDD and 83 healthy controls (HC) using the automated amygdala substructure module in FreeSurfer 6.0. Volumetric assessments were performed for individual nuclei and three anatomico-functional composite groups of nuclei. Salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR), as a measure of HPA responsivity, was measured in a subset of patients. The right medial nucleus volume was larger in MDD compared to HC (p = 0.002). Increased right-left volume ratios were found in MDD for the whole amygdala (p = 0.004), the laterobasal composite (p = 0.009) and in the central (p = 0.003) and medial (p = 0.014) nuclei. The CAR was not significantly different between MDD and HC. Within the MDD group the left corticoamygdaloid transition area was inversely correlated with the CAR, as measured by area under the curve (AUCg) (p ≤ 0.0001). In conclusion, our study found larger right medial nuclei volumes in MDD compared to HC and relatively increased right compared to left whole and substructure volume ratios in MDD. The results suggest that amygdala substructure volumes may be involved in the pathophysiology of depression.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158221002254Major Depressive DisorderAmygdalaCentromedial nucleusCortisol awakening responseHypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axisFreesurfer
spellingShingle Darren Roddy
John R. Kelly
Chloë Farrell
Kelly Doolin
Elena Roman
Anurag Nasa
Thomas Frodl
Andrew Harkin
Shane O'Mara
Erik O'Hanlon
Veronica O'Keane
Amygdala substructure volumes in Major Depressive Disorder
NeuroImage: Clinical
Major Depressive Disorder
Amygdala
Centromedial nucleus
Cortisol awakening response
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
Freesurfer
title Amygdala substructure volumes in Major Depressive Disorder
title_full Amygdala substructure volumes in Major Depressive Disorder
title_fullStr Amygdala substructure volumes in Major Depressive Disorder
title_full_unstemmed Amygdala substructure volumes in Major Depressive Disorder
title_short Amygdala substructure volumes in Major Depressive Disorder
title_sort amygdala substructure volumes in major depressive disorder
topic Major Depressive Disorder
Amygdala
Centromedial nucleus
Cortisol awakening response
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
Freesurfer
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158221002254
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