title: Association between cingulum bundle structure and cognitive performance: an observational study in major depression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Major depression can be regarded as a systemic neurobehavioral disorder resulting from dysfunction of the limbic-cortical networks. The cingulum bundle represents a major association fiber tract of those networks. The aim of our study was to determine the association of brain structural tissue markers of the cingulum bundle and cognitive function in patients with major depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Region-of-interest-based analyses of the middle-anterior and middle-posterior cingulum bundle fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) using color-coded diffusion-tensor imaging and neuropsychological assessment in 14 patients with major depression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FA of the middle-anterior and middle-posterior cingulum bundle was significantly correlated to the performance in a planning and divided attention task. Furthermore, MD of the middle-posterior cingulum bundle was significantly correlated to a planning task. There was no significant correlation between FA and MD of the cingulum bundle and selective attention or memory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Brain structural tissue markers of the middle-anterior and middle-posterior cingulum bundle were found to be associated with executive functioning and divided attention in patients with major depression. Disconnection within the limbic-cortical networks may underlay cognitive dysfunction in major depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. schermuly@psychiatrie.klinik.uni-mainz.de
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schermuly
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fellgiebel
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yakushev
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stoeter
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Knickenberg
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bleichner
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Beutel
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D001288:Attention; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D019370:Observation / Q000379:methods