Abstract
Clinical depression and subthreshold depressive symptoms in older adults have been linked to structural changes in the cingulate gyrus. The cingulate comprises functionally distinct subregions that may have distinct associations with different types, or symptom dimensions, of depression. This study examined the relationship between symptom dimensions of depression and gray matter volumes in the anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate and isthmus of the cingulate in a nonclinical sample. The study included 41 community-dwelling older adults between the ages of 55 and 81. Participants received a structural magnetic resonance imaging scan and completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Subscale scores for depressed mood, somatic symptoms and lack of positive affect were calculated, and Freesurfer was used to extract cingulate gray matter volumes. Regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between depressive symptoms and volumes of cingulate subregions while controlling for sex, age and estimated total intracranial volume. Higher scores on the depressed mood subscale were associated with larger volumes in the left posterior cingulate and smaller volumes in the isthmus cingulate. Higher scores on the somatic symptoms subscale were significantly related to smaller volumes in the posterior cingulate. A trend was observed for a positive relationship between higher scores on the lack of positive affect subscale and larger volumes in the anterior cingulate cortex. These results are consistent with previous findings of altered cingulate volumes with increased depressive symptomatology and suggest specific symptom dimensions of depression may differ in their relationship with subregions of the cingulate.
Highlights
Multiple brain changes have been noted in fronto-limbic pathways in late-life depression, including structural and functional changes in gray matter and increased white matter hyperintensities.[1,2] Growing evidence suggests that subthreshold symptoms of depression have similar neural correlates as major depression in older adults, in frontal regions.[2,3,4,5] The cingulate has been identified as a key area within fronto-limbic networks, in part based on its strong interconnectedness in pathways that are important for mood and emotional processing, including the orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus and striatum.[6]
Subscale, scores were not used in our analyses. The depressed mood, These results are based on analysis of raw data for ease of somatic symptoms and lack of positive affect subscale scores served as interpretation
This study examined the relationship between dimensions of depressive symptoms and gray matter volumes in subregions of the cingulate cortex
Summary
Multiple brain changes have been noted in fronto-limbic pathways in late-life depression, including structural and functional changes in gray matter and increased white matter hyperintensities.[1,2] Growing evidence suggests that subthreshold symptoms of depression have similar neural correlates as major depression in older adults, in frontal regions.[2,3,4,5] The cingulate has been identified as a key area within fronto-limbic networks, in part based on its strong interconnectedness in pathways that are important for mood and emotional processing, including the orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus and striatum.[6]. The isthmus, along with the ACC and PCC, has been implicated in neuroimaging studies of both major and subthreshold depression, and in both young and older adults.[8,15,16,17,18,19,20,21] Structural studies have primarily shown that depression is associated with reduced volumes, thickness and surface area in these regions;[15,17,20] depression-related increases have been reported.[16,18,21]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
