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Hippocampal volume in geriatric depression

2000; Elsevier BV; Volume: 48; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0006-3223(00)00829-5

1873-2402

David C. Steffens, Christopher E. Byrum, Douglas R McQuoid, Daniel L. Greenberg, Martha E. Payne, Timothy F. Blitchington, James R. MacFall, K.Ranga Rama Krishnan,

Treatment of Major Depression

Abstract Background: There is a growing literature on the importance of hippocampal volume in geriatric depression. Methods: We examined hippocampal volume in a group of elderly depressed patients and a group of elderly control subjects ( N = 66 geriatric depressed patients and 18 elderly nondepressed control subjects) recruited through Duke's Mental Health Clinical Research Center for the Study of Depression in the Elderly. The subjects received a standardized evaluation, including a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the brain. Patients had unipolar major depression and were free of comorbid major psychiatric illness and neurologic illness. Differences were assessed using t tests and linear regression modeling. Results: Accounting for the effects of age, gender, and total brain volume, depressed patients tended to have smaller right hippocampal volume ( p = .014) and left hippocampal volume ( p = .073). Among depressed patients, age of onset was negatively but not significantly related to right hippocampal volume ( p = .052) and to left hippocampal volume ( p = .062). We noted that among subjects with either right or left hippocampal volume of 3 mL or less, the vast majority were patients rather than control subjects. Conclusions: These results support a role for hippocampal dysfunction in depression, particularly in late-age onset depression. Longitudinal studies examining both depressive and cognitive outcomes are needed to clarify the relationships between the hippocampus, depression, and dementia.