Hippocampal changes associated with early-life adversity and vulnerability to depression.
BACKGROUND
Smaller hippocampal volume has been reported in some adult and pediatric studies of unipolar major depressive disorder. It is not clear whether the smaller hippocampal volume precedes or is a consequence of the illness. Early-life adversity is associated with both smaller hippocampal volume and increased vulnerability to depressive disorder. Hippocampal changes may mediate the relationship between early-life adversity and depressive illness in a subset of patients. However, there are no reports of longitudinal clinical studies that have examined this issue.


METHODS
Thirty adolescents with unipolar major depressive disorder, 22 adolescent volunteers with no personal history of a psychiatric illness including depression but who were at high risk for developing depression by virtue of parental depression (high-risk group), and 35 adolescent volunteers with no personal or family history of a psychiatric disorder (control subjects) underwent volumetric magnetic resonance imaging studies. Information was also gathered on early and recent adverse experiences with standard interviews. The participants were followed for up to 5 years to assess the onset and clinical course of depression.


RESULTS
Depressed and high-risk groups had significantly smaller left and right hippocampal volumes than control subjects. Higher levels of early-life adversity were associated with smaller hippocampal volumes. Smaller hippocampal volume partially mediated the effect of early-life adversity on depression during longitudinal follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Smaller hippocampal volume in adolescents at high risk for depression suggests that it may be a vulnerability marker for the illness. Early-life adversity may interact with genetic vulnerability to induce hippocampal changes, potentially increasing the risk for depressive disorder.
Rao
Uma
U
Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, 75390-9101, USA. uma.rao@utsouthwestern.edu
Chen
Li-Ann
LA
Bidesi
Anup S
AS
Shad
Mujeeb U
MU
Thomas
M Albert
MA
Hammen
Constance L
CL
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult