Study Report
Reference
| Citation | Taki, 2005 PubMed |
| Full Info | Taki, Y., Kinomura, S., Awata, S., Inoue, K., Sato, K., Ito, H., Goto, R., Uchida, S., Tsuji, I., Arai, H. et al. (2005) Male elderly subthreshold depression patients have smaller volume of medial part of prefrontal cortex and precentral gyrus compared with age-matched normal subjects: a voxel-based morphometry. J Affect Disord, 88, 313-320.
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Study
| Hypothesis or Background |
The brain morphological changes in subthreshold depression (sD) have not been clarified. We examined the structural difference in regional gray matter volume between community-dwelling elderly subjects with sD and age-matched nondepressed normal subjects by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
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| Sample Information | Thirty-four community-dwelling elderly subjects with sD and 109 age-matched nondepressed normal subjects |
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| Method Detail | Subjects were studied by MRI. We defined subjects with sD as those who showed a Geriatric Depression Scale score of 15 or higher and a Mini Mental State Examination score of 22 or higher, and do not fulfill the criteria of major depressive disorder (MDD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders IV. We collected brain magnetic resonance images of 34 subjects with sD and 109 age-matched normal subjects, and analyzed the difference in regional gray matter volume between these two groups by VBM. |
| Method Keywords | magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) |
| Result | Male subjects with sD had significantly smaller volumes of the medial part of the bilateral frontal lobes and the right precentral gyrus than normal male subjects. |
| Conclusions | Our study revealed that even community-dwelling elderly male subjects with sD show bilateral prefrontal gray matter volume reduction, which was reported to be observed in elderly patients with MDD, although there is no significant volume reduction in the hippocampus, which was also reported to be observed in MDD. Our study may contribute to clarifying the mechanism underlying brain pathological changes in sD. |
| Remark | LIMITATIONS: We have not clarified the discrepancy in the results of gender difference.
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Relationships reported by
Taki, 2005
| Component A Approved Name (Name in Paper) |
Component A Type |
Component B Approved Name (Name in Paper) |
Component B Type |
Statistical Result |
Relationship Description |
Result Category (Positive/Negative)) |
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MDD
|
syndrome |
Frontal Lobe (frontal lobes) |
brain morphology and function |
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Male subjects with Sd(subthreshold depression) had significantly smaller volumes of the medial part of the bilateral frontal lobes and the right precentral gyrus than normal male subjects. |
Positive
|
|
MDD
|
syndrome |
right precentral gyrus (right precentral gyrus) |
brain morphology and function |
|
Male subjects with Sd(subthreshold depression) had significantly smaller volumes of the medial part of the bilateral frontal lobes and the right precentral gyrus than normal male subjects. |
Positive
|
