title: Frontal-subcortical volumetric deficits in single episode, medication-naïve depressed patients and the effects of 8 weeks fluoxetine treatment: a VBM-DARTEL study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Convergent studies suggest that morphological abnormalities of frontal-subcortical circuits which involved with emotional and cognitive processing may contribute to the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). Antidepressant treatment which has been reported to reverse the functional abnormalities of frontal-subcortical circuits in MDD may have treating effects to related brain morphological abnormalities. In this study, we used voxel-based morphometry method to investigate whole brain structural abnormalities in single episode, medication-naïve MDD patients. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of an 8 weeks pharmacotherapy with fluoxetine.
  
  
  METHODS
  28 single episode, medication-naïve MDD participants and 28 healthy controls (HC) acquired the baseline high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) scan. 24 MDD participants acquired a follow-up sMRI scan after 8 weeks antidepressant treatment. Gray matter volumetric (GMV) difference between groups was examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Medication-naïve MDD had significantly decreased GMV in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left middle frontal gyrus as well as increased GMV in the left thalamus and right insula compared to HC (P<0.05, corrected). Moreover, treated MDD had significantly increased GMV in the left middle frontal gyrus and right orbitofrontal cortex compared to HC (P<0.05, corrected). No difference on GMV was detected between medication-naïve MDD group and treated MDD group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study of single episode, medication-naïve MDD subjects demonstrated structural abnormalities of frontal-subcortical circuitsin the early stage of MDD and the effects of 8 weeks successful antidepressant treatment, suggesting these abnormalities may play an important role in the neuropathophysiology of MDD at its onset.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China.
authors.forename: Lingtao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China.
authors.forename: Yanqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Quanzhou First Hospital, Quanzhou, Fujian, PR China.
authors.forename: Dongyan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China ; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D005473:Fluoxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors