title: Hippocampal sulcal cavities in depression and healthy individuals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A literature review suggested age and cognitive problems to be related to an increased prevalence of small areas of signal variation within the hippocampus observed on MRI, described as hippocampal sulcal cavities (HSCs; (Maller et al., 2011)). The current study aimed to describe the prevalence of HSCs in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and healthy controls over a large age-range.
  
  
  METHODS
  115 TRD patients and 86 controls underwent MRI brain scanning. Right and left HSCs were rated separately for prevalence and length.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HSCs were observed in 73.04% of those with TRD, statistically more prevalent (p=0.001) than amongst controls (51.16%). These findings are consistent with our review (66% prevalence in memory disorders and 47% in healthy controls). Furthermore, HSC presence and length was associated with aging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study was cross-sectional so its implications for aging are tentative. A larger sample scanned longitudinally will allow for more sophisticated statistical methods by which to investigate the relationship between HSCs, aging, and TRD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although their clinical significance remains uncertain, the results of the current study suggest that HSCs are related with age and those with TRD have more aged brains than their peers.
authors.affiliation: Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred & Monash University Central Clinical School, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. j.maller@alfred.org.au
authors.forename: Jerome J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Maller
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Réglade-Meslin
authors.forename: Richard H S
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daigle
authors.forename: Mera S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: Zafiris J
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Daskalakis
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D061218:Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aging; Cavity; Depression; Hippocampus; Magnetic resonance imaging; Prevalence