MESIAL TEMPORAL CORTEX HYPOPERFUSION IS ASSOCIATED WITH DEPRESSION INSUBCORTICAL STROKE

Background and Purpose This study was conducted to evaluate local cere bral blood flow changes in patients with depression after a subcortica l stroke. Methods Clinical and neuropsychological assessments were per formed in 15 patients with a single subcortical lesion. Depression was assessed by DSM-III-R. In addition, the Hamilton Rating Scale for dep ression, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, and the Beck scale wer e administered to each patient. Single-photon emission-computed tomogr aphy study was performed with Tc-99m hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime. R esults In all patients cortical regions ipsilateral to subcortical les ions were significantly less perfused than the contralateral cortex. C erebral blood flow values were significantly lower in depressed patien ts (n=8) than in nondepressed patients (n=7) only in the mesial tempor al cortex of the affected hemisphere. Cerebral blood flow values in th e mesial temporal cortex of the affected hemisphere significantly corr elated with the severity of depression. Conclusions Temporal lobe hypo perfusion may reflect a dysfunction of the limbic system, suggesting t hat this location may be critical for the occurrence of depressive sym ptoms in patients with subcortical stroke.