title: Smaller cingulate volumes in unipolar depressed patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The anterior cingulate cortex is a key structure in brain networks involved in mood regulation. Abnormalities in this brain region are possibly implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. This anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study compared cingulate cortex volumes in unipolar depressed patients and age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one unmedicated DSM-IV unipolar patients (24 female, aged 39.2 +/- 11.9 years [mean +/- SD]) and 31 healthy control subjects (24 female, aged 36.7 +/- 10.7 years) were studied in a 1.5-T GE Signa magnet (General Electric Medical Systems, Milwaukee, Wisconsin). Cingulate volumes were compared by analysis of covariance with intracranial volume as the covariate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The unipolar patients had significantly smaller anterior and posterior cingulate volumes bilaterally compared with healthy control subjects. When patients were divided into currently depressed (n = 21) and remitted (n = 10) subgroups, currently depressed patients had significantly smaller anterior and posterior cingulate volumes bilaterally compared with healthy control subjects, whereas remitted patients had significantly smaller left anterior cingulate volumes compared with healthy individuals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gray matter abnormalities in the cingulate cortex are implicated in the pathophysiology of unipolar depression. Smaller cingulate volumes in currently depressed patients support the hypothesis that cingulate cortex abnormalities are state dependent, whereas changes in left anterior cingulate might be trait related.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Division of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas 78229, USA.
authors.forename: Sheila C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Caetano
authors.forename: Simerjit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nicoletti
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hatch
authors.forename: Roberto B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Sassi
authors.forename: Alan G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Mallinger
authors.forename: Matcheri S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Keshavan
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kupfer
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Jair C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003710:Demography; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged