Cellular pathology within the anterior cingulate cortex of patients with late-life depression: A morphometric study
Open accessAbstract
Previous imaging and morphometric studies have identified volumetric and cellular abnormalities in prefrontal areas in late-life depression. This study aimed to examine cellular morphology using stereological methodology in the supragenual region of the anterior cingulate cortex in late-life depressed patients compared with age-matched controls. Post-mortem tissue was acquired from nine patients with depression and 11 control patients and analyzed using the optical disector and nucleator methods. No changes were found in glial, non-pyramidal and pyramidal cell density, or in non-pyramidal or pyramidal cell volume within individual layers (2-5) or the supragenual anterior cortex as a whole. This study, therefore, does not provide further evidence for cellular abnormalities in late-life depression.
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Using densities as a measure may still have several limitations, which stem from the inherent challenges of stereological analysis upon human post mortem tissue.
“We recognize that using densities as a measure may still have several limitations, which stem from the inherent challenges of stereological analysis upon human post mortem tissue. 71”
From High vulnerability of medial prefrontal pyramidal neurons in post-stroke, vascular, Alzheimer's disease, and aging-related dementias (2026) · cites this paper as [71]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Khundakar, A. A., Morris, C. M., Oakley, A. E., & Thomas, A. J.
- Affiliations
- Newcastle Hospitals - Campus for Ageing and Vitality (GB)
- Venue
- Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-11
- Volume
- 194
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 184-189
- ISSN
- 0925-4927 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2058524215
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 2.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Locations
- Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Teesside University Research Portal (Teesside University) (submittedVersion)
- Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity)
- Funders
- Alzheimer Society
- Medical Research Council (G0400074)
- NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- geriatric depression, anterior cingulate cortex, cellular pathology, neuronal density, glial cell density, pyramidal neurons, non-pyramidal neurons, postmortem brain, stereology, optical disector, nucleating agents
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cell Count, Depression, Female, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Male, Neuroglia, Neurons, Postmortem Changes, Stereotaxic Techniques
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