Cited by 136Treatment of Major DepressionFunctional Brain Connectivity StudiesNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Essential brain structural alterations in major depressive disorder: A voxel-wise meta-analysis on first episode, medication-naive patients

Peng, Wei, Chen, Ziqi, Yin, Li, Jia, Zhiyun, Gong, Qiyong·2016·Journal of Affective Disorders

Abstract

Background Because brain morphological abnormalities in major depressive disorder (MDD) may be modulated by medication and episodes, previous meta-analyses of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies therefore have been biased for including medicated patients or medication-free patients who had ever received drugs, as well as patients with different episodes. We sought to identify the essential morphological features without the interference of medication and episodes in MDD.Methods Seed-based d Mapping was applied to analyze the gray matter differences between all first episode (FE), medication-naive MDD patients and healthy controls. Subgroup meta-analyses and meta-regression were used to explore the effects of methodology, demographics and clinical characteristics.Results We identified 10 studies comprising 329 FE, medication-naive MDD patients and 340 healthy controls. Gray matter volumes were increased in the bilateral thalamus, cuneus, left paracentral lobule and medial superior frontal gyrus, and decreased in the right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus, left insula and middle frontal gyrus in patients. Decreased volume in the right inferior temporal gyrus was only observed in patients with short illness duration and studies with threshold corrections. Moreover, there were different results between 3.0T MRI and 1.5T MRI studies. Meta-regression analyses revealed that mean age and the percentage of female patients were not significantly correlated with gray matter changes.Limitations There are heterogeneities in demographics, clinical features and analyzing methods of selected studies.Conclusions The present meta-analysis revealed that structural abnormalities in the fronto-limbic networks are the essential characteristics in MDD and could contribute to the high risk of suicide in patients.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.jad.2016.04.001

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  • Six months of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise significantly increased the prefrontal cortex gray matter volume in patients with depression, which was directly proportional to the amount of exercise.

    “Six months of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise significantly increased the prefrontal cortex gray matter volume in patients with depression (decreased gray matter volume is a key physiological sign of depression [65]), which was directly proportional to the amount of exercise [66].”

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Authors
Peng, W., Chen, Z., Yin, L., Jia, Z., & Gong, Q.
Affiliations
  • West China Hospital of Sichuan University (CN)
  • West China Medical Center of Sichuan University (CN)
  • Sichuan University (CN)
Corresponding author
  • Jia, Zhiyun
  • Gong, Qiyong
Venue
Journal of Affective Disorders
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-07
Volume
199
Pages
114-123
ISSN
0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2334989530
Cited by
136
References
86
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 2
FWCI
1.30
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
major depressive disorder, gray matter volume, brain structural changes, first-episode depression, drug-naive patients, thalamus, insula, fronto-limbic network, inferior temporal gyrus, disease duration, MRI field strength, suicide risk
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain, Brain Mapping, Cerebral Cortex, Major Depressive Disorder, Depressive Disorder, Major, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Severity of Illness Index, Thalamus, Prefrontal Cortex, Gray Matter

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