title: Alterations in white matter fractional anisotropy in subsyndromal perimenopausal depression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Subsyndromal depression (SSD) is considered as a predictor for future depressive disorders, however whether white matter abnormalities are involved in the high-susceptibility of women to depressive disorders during perimenopause is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate fractional anisotropy (FA) in the white matter of the whole brain in perimenopausal women with SSD using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study, 24 perimenopausal women with SSD and 24 other age-, education-, and body mass index-matched healthy women underwent DTI. A voxel-based analysis was used to elucidate regional FA changes at a voxel threshold of p < 0.001 with an extent threshold of k > 127 voxels (p < 0.05, AlphaSim correction). Subsequently, correlation analyses were performed between mean FA values in significant brain regions and plasma estradiol level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to healthy controls, women with SSD exhibited significantly lower FA values in the left insula, while higher FA values were observed in the left ventral lateral thalamus and left and right brainstem in the midbrain. In subjects with SSD, the mean FA value in the left insula was positively correlated to plasma estradiol levels (r = 0.453, p = 0.026) (uncorrected).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate altered microstructures in white matter of the insula and subcortical regions may be associated with the high susceptibility of perimenopausal women to depressive disorders. Estrogen may modulate the white matter microstructure of the insula.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, National Technology Institute of Psychiatry, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China. wxl0372@126.com.|Department of Psychiatry, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China. wxl0372@126.com.
authors.forename: Xianglan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, National Technology Institute of Psychiatry, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China. tj2023@163.com.|Department of Psychiatry, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China. tj2023@163.com.
authors.forename: Jiong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, National Technology Institute of Psychiatry, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China. llj2920@163.com.|Shenzhen Kangning Hospital of Guangdong Province, Shenzhen, 518003, China. llj2920@163.com.
authors.forename: Lingjiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, National Technology Institute of Psychiatry, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China. 89.534.72@163.com.|Department of Psychiatry, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China. 89.534.72@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Guangzhou Brain Hospital, Guangzhou, 510370, China. shaliu_gzbh@126.com.
authors.forename: Sha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Brainnetome Center, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China. tianzi_jiang2014@163.com.|National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China. tianzi_jiang2014@163.com.|Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia. tianzi_jiang2014@163.com.|Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, China. tianzi_jiang2014@163.com.
authors.forename: Tianzi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China. gzpsycho@126.com.
authors.forename: Jinbei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods; D004958:Estradiol / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D047648:Perimenopause / Q000502:physiology*; D020651:Ventral Thalamic Nuclei / Q000473:pathology; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D004958:Estradiol