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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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-01-01
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Series: | NeuroImage: Clinical |
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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. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-22T08:48:20Z |
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issn | 2213-1582 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-22T08:48:20Z |
publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
publisher | Elsevier |
record_format | Article |
series | NeuroImage: Clinical |
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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