Injuries in Left Corticospinal Tracts, Forceps Major, and Left Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus (Temporal) as the Quality Indicators for Major Depressive Disorder.

Wenbin Guo,Chunxia Yang,Min Liu,Penghong Liu,Lijun Kang,Ziwei Liu,Kerang Zhang,Aixia Zhang,Ning Sun,Jizhi Wang

doi:10.1155/2021/2348072

Abstract

At present, the etiology and pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD) are still not clear. Studies have found that the risk of first-degree relatives of MDD is 2–3 times that of the general population. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been previously used to explore the pathogenesis of MDD. The purpose of this study is to explore the etiology of MDD by DTI and further to explore the correlation between its clinical characteristics and the structural changes of white matter in the brain. The study included 27 first-episode, drug-naive patients with MDD, 16 first-degree relatives without MDD, and 28 healthy control subjects with no family history of MDD (HC). Results showed that the fractional anisotropy (FA) differences among the three groups were mainly in the left anterior thalamic radiation (LATR), right anterior thalamic radiation (RATR), left corticospinal tracts (LCST), forceps major (FMa), right inferior longitudinal fasciculus (RILF), and left superior longitudinal fasciculus (temporal) (LSLF(T)). Among the 6 sites, LCST, FMa, and LSLF(T) showed significant differences between MDD and First-degree relatives compared to HC. MDD patients had significant emotional symptoms, somatic symptoms, and cognitive impairment. FMa FA was significantly positively correlated with delayed memory score (r = 0.43, P = 0.031), and RILF FA was significantly negatively correlated with the FSS score (r = −0.42, P = 0.028). These results revealed that the white matter characteristics of MDD-susceptible patients were LCST, FMa, and LSLF(T) lesions, all of which may be quality indicators of MDD.

Highlights

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by cognitive impairments, functional disability, and mortality
We proposed that cognitive impairment is a characteristic marker of familial aggregation of MDD [6]
Exclusion criteria are the following: (1) a history of diseases of the nervous system, major physical diseases, or endocrine diseases; (2) a history of brain injury, coma, and other diseases that may interfere with the study; (3) other medical conditions diagnosed by the DSM-IV, including a history of alcohol or drug abuse or dependence; (4) implanted metal materials, pacemakers, etc.; (5) pregnant or lactating women; and (6) a family history of manic episodes or bipolar disorder

Summary

Introduction

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by cognitive impairments, functional disability, and mortality. Genetic studies have shown that depression has familial clustering, and the prevalence of first-degree relatives is 2–3 times that of the general population. The heritability of MDD in males and females was 0.41 and 0.49, respectively, and it was found that the age of onset, number of relapses, comorbidities, anxiety, and clinical severity could predict the risk in relatives [5]. Meta-analysis of first-degree relatives of MDD patients showed significant differences in cognitive function. We proposed that cognitive impairment is a characteristic marker of familial aggregation of MDD [6]. It can be inferred that first-degree relatives of MDD may have similar characteristics, which may be related to the quality changes of the onset. The task of exploring the clinical characteristics of the genetic rules of MDD is one of great significance

Objectives

Methods

Results