Localization of age-associated white matter hyperintensities in late-life depression.
OBJECTIVE
Deep white matter hyperintense lesions are associated with advanced age and late-life depression. The authors examined where age-related cerebral lesions occurred in elderly depressed and healthy control subjects.


METHODS
Eighty-seven depressed subjects and 47 control subjects underwent 1.5 T cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Utilizing a semiautomated method, a segmented image was created containing only white matter lesions. We created a statistical parametric map (SPM) separately for each subject group that displayed the association between lesions in any voxel and advanced age.


RESULTS
The SPM analysis in depressed subjects demonstrates a significant association between age and lesions found in bilateral, frontal, and left parietal regions. The analysis in control subjects found significant associations only in bilateral parieto-temporal regions, not frontal regions.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates a different pattern of age-related lesion location between depressed and control subjects. It further supports the theory that frontostriatal disconnection contributes to late-life depression.
Taylor
Warren D
WD
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, DUMC 3903, Durham, NC 27710, USA. taylo066@mc.duke.edu
MacFall
James R
JR
Steffens
David C
DC
Payne
Martha E
ME
Provenzale
James M
JM
Krishnan
K Ranga Rama
KR
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology*