Age of onset of depression and quantitative neuroanatomic measures: absence of specific correlates

The purpose of our study was to examine the relationship between volumetric neuroanatomic measures and age of onset of illness in subjects with late-l ife major depression. Our sample was composed of 51 elderly subjects with M ajor Depressive Disorder who were scanned using a 1.5-tesla GE magnetic res onance imaging scanner with head coil. Absolute total and focal brain volum es were obtained together with quantified estimates of high intensity lesio ns. The relationship of these measures to onset age was examined using a re gression while adjusting for subjects' current age and total intracranial v olume. There was no significant linear relationship between age of onset of the first episode and any of the neuroanatomic measures examined. These da ta do not support the notion that neuroanatomical contributions to depressi on increase with a later age of onset of illness. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.