title: Basolateral amygdala volume and cell numbers in major depressive disorder: a postmortem stereological study.
abstract: Functional imaging studies consistently report abnormal amygdala activity in major depressive disorder (MDD). Neuroanatomical correlates are less clear: imaging studies have produced mixed results on amygdala volume, and postmortem neuroanatomic studies have only examined cell densities in portions of the amygdala or its subregions in MDD. Here, we present a stereological analysis of the volume of, and the total number of, neurons, glia, and neurovascular (pericyte and endothelial) cells in the basolateral amygdala in MDD. Postmortem tissues from 13 subjects with MDD and 10 controls were examined. Sections (~15/subject) taken throughout the rostral-caudal extent of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) were stained for Nissl substance and utilized for stereological estimation of volume and cell numbers. Results indicate that depressed subjects had a larger lateral nucleus than controls and a greater number of total BLA neurovascular cells than controls. There were no differences in the number or density of neurons or glia between depressed and control subjects. These findings present a more detailed picture of BLA cellular anatomy in depression than has previously been available. Further studies are needed to determine whether the greater number of neurovascular cells in depressed subjects may be related to increased amygdala activity in depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State St, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA. mrubinow@umc.edu.
authors.forename: Marisa J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rubinow
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State St, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA. gmahajan@umc.edu.
authors.forename: Gouri
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mahajan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Center of Biostatistics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State St, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA. wmay@umc.edu.
authors.forename: Warren
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: May
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA. Overholser@case.edu.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Overholser
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA. George.jurjus@va.gov.|Cleveland VA Medical Center, 10701 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA. George.jurjus@va.gov.
authors.forename: George J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Jurjus
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA. ldd2@case.edu.
authors.forename: Lesa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dieter
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA. Nicole.herbst@case.edu.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Herbst
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA. STEFFENS@uchc.edu.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Steffens
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State St, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA. jmiguel-hidalgo@umc.edu.
authors.forename: Jose J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Miguel-Hidalgo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State St, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA. grajkowska@umc.edu.
authors.forename: Grazyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rajkowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State St, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA. cstockmeier@umc.edu.|Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA. cstockmeier@umc.edu.
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Stockmeier
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D066272:Basolateral Nuclear Complex / Q000473:pathology*; D002452:Cell Count; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000473:pathology*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D020286:Pericytes / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Amygdala; Cell numbers; Depression; Postmortem brain; Stereology