title: What is the impact of child abuse on gray matter abnormalities in individuals with major depressive disorder: a case control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) present heterogeneous clinical symptoms, and childhood abuse is associated with deepening of psychopathology. The aim of this study was to identify structural brain abnormalities in MDD and to assess further differences in gray matter density (GMD) associated with childhood abuse in MDD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Differences in regional GMD between 34 MDD patients and 26 healthy controls were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging and optimized voxel-based morphometry. Within the MDD group, further comparisons were performed focusing on the experience of maltreatment during childhood (23 MDD with child abuse vs 11 MDD without child abuse).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with healthy controls, the MDD patient group showed decreased GMD in the bilateral orbitofrontal cortices, right superior frontal gyrus, right posterior cingulate gyrus, bilateral middle occipital gyri, and left cuneus. In addition, the patient group showed increased GMD in bilateral postcentral gyri, parieto-occipital cortices, putamina, thalami, and hippocampi, and left cerebellar declive and tuber of vermis. Within the MDD patient group, the subgroup with abuse showed a tendency of decreased GMD in right orbitofrontal cortex, but showed increased GMD in the left postcentral gyrus compared to the subgroup without abuse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest a complicated dysfunction of networks between cortical-subcortical circuits in MDD. In addition, increased GMD in postcentral gyrus and a possible reduction of GMD in the orbitofrontal cortex of MDD patients with abuse subgroup may be associated with abnormalities of body perception and emotional dysregulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06273, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Jun
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06273, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sunghyon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kyeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06273, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06273, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Jin
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06273, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Tae-Sub
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06273, Republic of Korea. johnstein@yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Jeong-Ho
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9402-7591
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Seok
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Emotional abuse; Emotional dysregulation; Major depressive disorder; Orbitofrontal cortex; Physical abuse; Voxel-based morphometry