title: Larger amygdala volume in first-degree relatives of patients with major depression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although a heritable contribution to risk for major depressive disorder (MDD) has been established and neural alterations in patients have been identified through neuroimaging, it is unclear which brain abnormalities are related to genetic risk. Studies on brain structure of high-risk subjects - such as individuals carrying a familial liability for the development of MDD - can provide information on the potential usefulness of these measures as intermediate phenotypes of MDD.
  
  
  METHODS
  63 healthy first-degree relatives of patients with MDD and 63 healthy controls underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. Regional gray matter volumes were analyzed via voxel-based morphometry (VBM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Whole-brain analysis revealed significantly larger gray matter volume in the bilateral amygdala in first-degree relatives of patients with MDD. Furthermore, relatives showed significantly larger gray matter volume in anatomical structures found relevant to MDD in previous literature, specifically in the bilateral hippocampus and amygdala as well as the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Bilateral DLPFC volume correlated positively with the experience of negative affect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Larger gray matter volume in healthy relatives of MDD patients point to a possible vulnerability mechanism in MDD etiology and therefore extend knowledge in the field of high-risk approaches in MDD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Romanczuk-Seiferth
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pöhland
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mohnke
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garbusow
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erk
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Grimm
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tost
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meyer-Lindenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wüstenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heinz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D059906:Neuroimaging; D009929:Organ Size; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Amygdala; Gray matter volume; High-risk; Major depressive disorder; voxel-based morphometry