Abstract
Case-control studies in major depression have established patterns of regional gray matter loss, including the hippocampus, which might show state-related effects dependent on disease stage. However, there is still limited knowledge on compensation effects that might occur in people resilient to depression showing only subclinical symptoms. We used voxel-based morphometry on a multicenter data set of 409 healthy nonclinical subjects to test the hypothesis that local hippocampal volume would be inversely correlated with subclinical depressive symptoms [Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R) depression scores]. Our region-of-interest results show a significant (p = 0.042, FWE cluster-level corrected) positive correlation of SCL-90-R scores for depression and a left hippocampus cluster. Additionally, we provide an exploratory finding of gyrification, a surface-based morphometric marker, correlating with a right postcentral gyrus cluster [p = 0.031, family-wise error (FWE) cluster-level corrected]. Our findings provide first preliminary evidence of an inverse relationship for subjects in the absence of clinical depression and might thus point to processes related to compensation. Similar effects have been observed in remission from major depression and thus deserve further study to evaluate hippocampal volume not only as a state-dependent marker of disease but also of resilience.
Highlights
Major depression is associated with brain structural changes documented in several imaging studies
As outlined in our previous work on this multicenter sample, this included three subsamples: 177 healthy subjects from Jena (Jena-1 sample), 141 healthy subjects from Jena (Jena-2 sample) for whom data were acquired after a major hardware and software upgrade of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner and who are treated as a separate sample, and 91 healthy subjects from Verona, Italy (Verona/Milano sample)
For the hippocampus ROI-based/small-volume correction voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis, we found a significant positive correlation of voxels in a left hippocampus cluster within the ROI search volume
Summary
Major depression is associated with brain structural changes documented in several imaging studies. A recent mega-analysis has demonstrated brain matter reductions in multiple cortical areas, including the orbital frontal cortex, cingulate and insular cortex, and temporal lobes [1]. Many of these changes are already evident at first episode [2]. Of these changes, the hippocampus is of particular interest because it has been proposed as both a state marker and a putative biomarker for treatment outcome in major depression [3]. There might be some genetic effects of liability to depression related to hippocampal volume [8], there are clearly state-dependent effects related to depressive phenotype in hippocampal gray matter volume [9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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 call
