Brain structural abnormalities in adult major depressive disorder revealed by voxel- and source-based morphometry: evidence from the REST-meta-MDD Consortium

Wang, K., Hu, Y., Yan, C., Li, M., Wu, Y., Qiu, J. and Zhu, X. (2023) Brain structural abnormalities in adult major depressive disorder revealed by voxel- and source-based morphometry: evidence from the REST-meta-MDD Consortium. Psychological Medicine, 53(8), pp. 3672-3682. (doi: 10.1017/S0033291722000320) (PMID:35166200)

Abstract

Background: Neuroimaging studies on major depressive disorder (MDD) have identified an extensive range of brain structural abnormalities, but the exact neural mechanisms associated with MDD remain elusive. Most previous studies were performed with voxel- or surface-based morphometry which were univariate methods without considering spatial information across voxels/vertices. Methods: Brain morphology was investigated using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and source-based morphometry (SBM) in 1082 MDD patients and 990 healthy controls (HCs) from the REST-meta-MDD Consortium. We first examined group differences in regional grey matter (GM) volumes and structural covariance networks between patients and HCs. We then compared first-episode, drug-naïve (FEDN) patients, and recurrent patients. Additionally, we assessed the effects of symptom severity and illness duration on brain alterations. Results: VBM showed decreased GM volume in various regions in MDD patients including the superior temporal cortex, anterior and middle cingulate cortex, inferior frontal cortex, and precuneus. SBM returned differences only in the prefrontal network. Comparisons between FEDN and recurrent MDD patients showed no significant differences by VBM, but SBM showed greater decreases in prefrontal, basal ganglia, visual, and cerebellar networks in the recurrent group. Moreover, depression severity was associated with volumes in the inferior frontal gyrus and precuneus, as well as the prefrontal network. Conclusions: Simultaneous application of VBM and SBM methods revealed brain alterations in MDD patients and specified differences between recurrent and FEDN patients, which tentatively provide an effective multivariate method to identify potential neurobiological markers for depression.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32000760) to KW, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project to KW (2019M662433), Postdoctoral Innovation Project (239735) in Shandong Province to KW, National Social Science Foundation of China (21AYY014) to YW, Fundamental Research Funds for the Provincial Universities of Zhejiang to YW, and China Scholarship Council to XZ.
• Keywords: Voxel-based morphometry, source-based morphometry, brain structure, structural covariance network, major depressive disorder.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Zhu, Miss Xingxing
• Authors: Wang, K., Hu, Y., Yan, C., Li, M., Wu, Y., Qiu, J., and Zhu, X.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Journal Name: Psychological Medicine
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• ISSN: 0033-2917
• ISSN (Online): 1469-8978
• Published Online: 15 February 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © The Author(s) 2022
• First Published: First published in Psychological Medicine 53(8):3672-3682
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy