Structural and functional imaging of the hippocampus in young people at familial risk of depression.

BACKGROUND: Major depression is associated with abnormalities in the function and structure of the hippocampus. However, it is unclear whether these abnormalities might also be present in people 'at risk' of illness. METHOD: We studied 62 young people (mean age 18.8 years) at familial risk...

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Główni autorzy: Mannie, Z, Filippini, N, Williams, C, Near, J, Mackay, C, Cowen, P
Format: Journal article
Język:English
Wydane: 2014
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author Mannie, Z
Filippini, N
Williams, C
Near, J
Mackay, C
Cowen, P
author_facet Mannie, Z
Filippini, N
Williams, C
Near, J
Mackay, C
Cowen, P
author_sort Mannie, Z
collection OXFORD
description BACKGROUND: Major depression is associated with abnormalities in the function and structure of the hippocampus. However, it is unclear whether these abnormalities might also be present in people 'at risk' of illness. METHOD: We studied 62 young people (mean age 18.8 years) at familial risk of depression (FH+) but who had never been depressed themselves. Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging to assess hippocampal structure and neural responses to a task designed to activate hippocampal memory networks. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to measure levels of a combination of glutamine and glutamate (Glx) in the right hippocampus. A total of 59 matched controls with no history of mood disorder in a first-degree relative underwent the same investigations. RESULTS: Hippocampal volume did not differ between FH+ participants and controls; however, relative to controls, during the memory task, FH+ participants showed increased activation in brain regions encompassing the insular cortices, putamen and pallidum as well as the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). FH+ participants also had increased hippocampal levels of Glx. CONCLUSIONS: Euthymic individuals with a parental history of depression demonstrate increased activation of hippocampal-related neural networks during a memory task, particularly in brain regions involved in processing the salience of stimuli. Changes in the activity of the ACC replicate previous findings in FH+ participants using different psychological tasks; this suggests that task-related abnormalities in the ACC may be a marker of vulnerability to depression. Increased levels of Glx in the hippocampus might also represent a risk biomarker but follow-up studies will be required to test these various possibilities.
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spelling oxford-uuid:e243e897-993e-4cd6-9892-21cf33a960942022-03-27T09:59:55ZStructural and functional imaging of the hippocampus in young people at familial risk of depression.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:e243e897-993e-4cd6-9892-21cf33a96094EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2014Mannie, ZFilippini, NWilliams, CNear, JMackay, CCowen, PBACKGROUND: Major depression is associated with abnormalities in the function and structure of the hippocampus. However, it is unclear whether these abnormalities might also be present in people 'at risk' of illness. METHOD: We studied 62 young people (mean age 18.8 years) at familial risk of depression (FH+) but who had never been depressed themselves. Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging to assess hippocampal structure and neural responses to a task designed to activate hippocampal memory networks. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to measure levels of a combination of glutamine and glutamate (Glx) in the right hippocampus. A total of 59 matched controls with no history of mood disorder in a first-degree relative underwent the same investigations. RESULTS: Hippocampal volume did not differ between FH+ participants and controls; however, relative to controls, during the memory task, FH+ participants showed increased activation in brain regions encompassing the insular cortices, putamen and pallidum as well as the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). FH+ participants also had increased hippocampal levels of Glx. CONCLUSIONS: Euthymic individuals with a parental history of depression demonstrate increased activation of hippocampal-related neural networks during a memory task, particularly in brain regions involved in processing the salience of stimuli. Changes in the activity of the ACC replicate previous findings in FH+ participants using different psychological tasks; this suggests that task-related abnormalities in the ACC may be a marker of vulnerability to depression. Increased levels of Glx in the hippocampus might also represent a risk biomarker but follow-up studies will be required to test these various possibilities.
spellingShingle Mannie, Z
Filippini, N
Williams, C
Near, J
Mackay, C
Cowen, P
Structural and functional imaging of the hippocampus in young people at familial risk of depression.
title Structural and functional imaging of the hippocampus in young people at familial risk of depression.
title_full Structural and functional imaging of the hippocampus in young people at familial risk of depression.
title_fullStr Structural and functional imaging of the hippocampus in young people at familial risk of depression.
title_full_unstemmed Structural and functional imaging of the hippocampus in young people at familial risk of depression.
title_short Structural and functional imaging of the hippocampus in young people at familial risk of depression.
title_sort structural and functional imaging of the hippocampus in young people at familial risk of depression
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