Magnetic-resonance morphometry in patients with major depression

Magnetic-resonance morphometry performed on 72 patients with major depressi on compared with 38 control subjects replicated previously reported, statis tically significant reductions in the volumes of the caudate (P < 0.03) and putamen (P < 0.05) in depressed patients. Borderline statistical significa nce was observed for whole-brain (P < 0.07) and frontal volume (P <.0.10) i n a subsample of 32 patients matched on age and sex with 32 control subject s, whereas statistical significance was observed for the full sample (P < 0 .007 and P < 0.03, respectively). Chronological age was related to volume o f the frontal lobes (P < 0.0002), caudate (P < 0.0001), putamen (P < 0.008) , thalamus (P < 0.002), cerebellum (P < 0.007), lateral ventricles (P < 0.0 001), and ratios of [whole brain]/[whole brain + cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)] (P < 0.0001) and [frontal]/[frontal + CSF] (P < 0.0001). Age of first depr essive episode was related to putamen volume after accounting for chronolog ical age (R-2 = 0.16, P < 0.005), and a correlation of 0.26 (P < 0.04) was observed between caudate volume and global mental status. Results are in ac cord with previous reports of basal-ganglia abnormalities in depressed pati ents and support the role of subcortical structures in mediating affective disorder. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.