title: Depressive symptoms and neuroanatomical structures in community-dwelling women: A combined voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging study with tract-based spatial statistics.
abstract: Depressive symptoms, even at a subclinical level, have been associated with structural brain abnormalities. However, previous studies have used regions of interest or small sample sizes, limiting the ability to generalize the results. In this study, we examined neuroanatomical structures of both gray matter and white matter associated with depressive symptoms across the whole brain in a large sample. A total of 810 community-dwelling adult participants underwent measurement of depressive symptoms with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The participants were not demented and had no neurological or psychiatric history. To examine the gray and white matter volume, we used structural MRI scans and voxel-based morphometry (VBM); to examine the white matter integrity, we used diffusion tensor imaging with tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). In female participants, VBM revealed a negative correlation between bilateral anterior cingulate gray matter volume and the CES-D score. TBSS showed a CES-D-related decrease in fractional anisotropy and increase in radial and mean diffusivity in several white matter regions, including the right anterior cingulum. In male participants, there was no significant correlation between gray or white matter volume or white matter integrity and the CES-D score. Our results indicate that the reduction in gray matter volume and differences in white matter integrity in specific brain regions, including the anterior cingulate, are associated with depressive symptoms in women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan ; Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yayoi K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidemasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takao
authors.affiliation: Department of Computational Diagnostic Radiology and Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kunimatsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kuni
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohtomo
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aoki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003863:Depression / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anterior cingulate gyrus; CES-D, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; DTI, diffusion tensor imaging; Diffusion tensor imaging; FA, fractional anisotropy; MD, mean diffusivity; RD, radial diffusivity; Subclinical depression; TBSS, tract-based spatial statistics; Tract-based spatial statistics; VBM, voxel-based morphometry; Voxel-based morphometry