Cited by 1,109Treatment of Major DepressionNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

The subgenual anterior cingulate cortex in mood disorders

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Drevets, Wayne C., Savitz, Jonathan, Trimble, Michael·2008·CNS Spectrums

Abstract

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) ventral to the genu of the corpus callosum has been implicated in the modulation of emotional behavior on the basis of neuroimaging studies in humans and lesion analyses in experimental animals. In a combined positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging study of mood disorders, we demonstrated that the mean gray matter volume of this “subgenual” ACC (sgACC) cortex is abnormally reduced in subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder, irrespective of mood state. Neuropathological assessments of sgACC tissue acquired postmortem from subjects with MDD or bipolar disorder confirmed the decrement in gray matter volume, and revealed that this abnormality was associated with a reduction in glia, with no equivalent loss of neurons. In positron emission tomography studies, the metabolic activity was elevated in this region in the depressed relative to the remitted phases of the same MDD subjects, and effective antidepressant treatment was associated with a reduction in sgACC activity. Other laboratories replicated and extended these findings, and the clinical importance of this treatment effect was underscored by a study showing that deep brain stimulation of the sgACC ameliorates depressive symptoms in treatment-resistant MDD. This article discusses the functional significance of these findings within the context of the preclinical literature that implicates the putative homologue of this region in the regulation of emotional behavior and stress response. In experimental animals, this region participates in an extended “visceromotor network” of structures that modulates autonomic/neuroendocrine responses and neurotransmitter transmission during the neural processing of reward, fear, and stress. These data thus hold important implications for the development of neural models of depression that can account for the abnormal motivational, neuroendocrine, autonomic, and emotional manifestations evident in human mood disorders.

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Crossref · 10.1017/s1092852900013754

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109 of 109 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • The differential effects of these drugs on dendritic atrophy in stressed rats resemble their effects on sgACC volume in humans with BD.

    “The differential effects of these drugs on dendritic atrophy in stressed rats thus resemble their effects on sgACC volume in humans with BD (Moore et al. 2008; Drevets et al. 1997; Drevets and Savitz 2008).”

    From Brain structural and functional abnormalities in mood disorders: implications for neurocircuitry models of depression (2008) · cites this paper as Drevets and Savitz 2008

    The section on rodent models of repeated stress says lithium reversed dendritic atrophy in stressed rats and likens this to its effect on gray-matter reductions in bipolar disorder. The structural neuroimaging section reports greater sgACC volume in lithium-treated bipolar patients. Our copy does not establish the claimed differential effects of multiple drugs on both rat dendritic atrophy and human sgACC volume; page numbers are unavailable. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • A meta-analysis on volumetric fMRI studies has revealed a volume reduction of the ACC compared with healthy control subjects.

    “a meta-analysis on volumetric fMRI studies has revealed a volume reduction of ACC compared with healthy control subjects (Drevets et al., 2008;Zhao et al., 2014).”

    From Social functioning in major depressive disorder (2016) · cites this paper as Drevets et al., 2008

  • In healthy men, intranasal oxytocin administration can increase empathic concern, enhance empathic accuracy and improve ToM.

    “In healthy men, intranasal oxytocin administration can increase empathic concern (Hurlemann et al., 2010), enhance empathic accuracy (Bartz et al., 2010) and improve ToM (Domes et al., 2006).”

    From Social functioning in major depressive disorder (2016) · cites this paper as Domes et al., 2006

  • Biomarkers that distinguish between depressed and non-depressed individuals have been identified at the neural level.

    “Biomarkers that distinguish between depressed and non-depressed individuals have been identified at the neural level (Drevets et al, 2008; Northoff et al, 2011)”
  • Depression has been associated with functional and structural abnormalities in subgenual cingulate, thalamus, striatum, and limbic regions.

    “Depression has been associated with functional and structural abnormalities in subgenual cingulate, thalamus, striatum, and limbic regions (Alcaro et al, 2010; Drevets et al, 2008; Heller et al, 2009, 2013; Mayberg, 2009; Phillips et al, 2003).”

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. [13]Drevets WC Gadde K Krishnan KRR Charnay DS Nestler EJ Bunney BJ Neuroimaging studies of depression The Neurobiological Foundation Of Mental Illness 2 New York, NY Oxford University Press 2004 461 490
  2. [38]Drevets WC Bogers W Raichie ME Functional anatomical correlates of antidepressant drug treatment assessed using PET measures of regional glucose metabolism Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2002 12 527 544 12468016
  3. [81]Kumano H Ida I Oshima A Takahashi K Yuuki N Brain metabolic changes associated with predispotion to onset of major depressive disorder and adjustment disorder in cancer patient-a preliminary PET study J Psychiatr Res 2007 41 591 599 16684544
  4. [93]Drevets WC Furey ML Squire L Emotional disorders: depression and the brain The New Encyclopedia of Neuroscience 4 New York, NY Elsevier Publishing, Inc In press

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Authors
Drevets, W. C., Savitz, J., & Trimble, M.
Affiliations
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (US)
  • National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (GB)
Venue
CNS Spectrums
Published
2008-08
Volume
13
Issue
8
Pages
663-681
ISSN
  • 1092-8529 (ISSN-L)
  • 2165-6509
OpenAlex
W1582811168
Cited by
1,109
References
109
Citations by year
2026: 55 · 2025: 58 · 2024: 64 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 68 · 2021: 112 · 2020: 62 · 2019: 63 · 2018: 57 · 2017: 55 · 2016: 72 · 2015: 63 · 2014: 68 · 2013: 70 · 2012: 68
FWCI
4.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • CNS Spectrums (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Mental Health (Z01MH002790)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, mood disorders, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, gray matter volume, antidepressant response, deep brain stimulation, stress response, emotional behavior, neuroendocrine regulation, autonomic responses
MeSH terms
Corpus Callosum, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Mood Disorders

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