title: Hippocampal volume in vulnerability and resilience to depression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reduced hippocampal volume has been associated with clinical depression. However, it remains unclear whether these changes are a biological vulnerability marker or a consequence of this disorder. METHODS AND RESULTS (STUDY 1): We first compared hippocampal volumes between (i) never-depressed individuals with elevated risk for depression by virtue of high neuroticism (ii) recovered depressed individuals with matched levels of neuroticism; and (iii) individuals with low neuroticism and no history of depression. We replicated the finding of reduced hippocampal volume in the recovered group; unexpectedly however, the never-depressed high-risk group showed an increase in volume. One hypothesis is that this group had a mean age above the typical onset age for depression; hence, these participants who have remained euthymic despite their personality risk might in fact possess some resilience. METHODS AND RESULTS (STUDY 2): A subsequent study was therefore carried out to compare hippocampal volume between high-neurotic vs. low-neurotic volunteers in a younger sample. No group difference was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present findings are limited by a small sample size; the cross-sectional design precluded us from makineg definitive conclusions about causal effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our overall results suggest that reduced hippocampal volumes is a neural marker for the scar effect of depression, although this structural impairment could also be seen as a vulnerability marker for the development of future recurrent episodes. By contrast, larger hippocampal volumes could be a biological marker of resilience. These findings have clinical implications regarding treatment development for the prevention of illness onset and recurrent depressive episodes.
authors.affiliation: Section of Clinical Psychology, School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK; University Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK. Electronic address: stella.chan@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Stella W Y
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: University Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK.
authors.forename: Catherine J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Harmer
authors.affiliation: University Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK.
authors.forename: Ray
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Norbury
authors.affiliation: University Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.affiliation: University Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK.
authors.forename: Guy M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Goodwin
authors.affiliation: University Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK; Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Spain.
authors.forename: Maria J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Portella
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D001284:Atrophy / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging; D000075384:Neuroticism; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Depression; Hippocampus; Neuroticism; Resilience; Risk; Vulnerability