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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Andreas FinkelmeyerORCiD, Dr Jiabao He, Lucy Stevens, Rachel Moss, Dr Peter GallagherORCiD, Emeritus Professor Nicol Ferrier, Professor Hamish McAllister-WilliamsORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Background. Hippocampal volume reductions in major depression have been frequently reported. However, evidence for functional abnormalities in the same region in depression has been less clear. We investigated hippocampal function in depression using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and neuropsychological tasks tapping spatial memory function, with complementing measures of hippocampal volume and resting blood flow to aid interpretation.Method. A total of 20 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and a matched group of 20 healthy individuals participated. Participants underwent multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): fMRI during a spatial memory task, and structural MRI and resting blood flow measurements of the hippocampal region using arterial spin labelling. An offline battery of neuropsychological tests, including several measures of spatial memory, was also completed.Results. The fMRI analysis showed significant group differences in bilateral anterior regions of the hippocampus. While control participants showed task-dependent differences in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal, depressed patients did not. No group differences were detected with regard to hippocampal volume or resting blood flow. Patients showed reduced performance in several offline neuropsychological measures. All group differences were independent of differences in hippocampal volume and hippocampal blood flow.Conclusions. Functional abnormalities of the hippocampus can be observed in patients with MDD even when the volume and resting perfusion in the same region appear normal. This suggests that changes in hippocampal function can be observed independently of structural abnormalities of the hippocampus in depression.
Author(s): Finkelmeyer A, Nilsson J, He J, Stevens L, Maller JJ, Moss RA, Small S, Gallagher P, Coventry K, Ferrier IN, McAllister-Williams RH
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Psychological Medicine
Year: 2016
Volume: 46
Issue: 10
Pages: 2157-2168
Print publication date: 01/07/2016
Online publication date: 19/05/2016
Acceptance date: 10/03/2016
Date deposited: 10/08/2016
ISSN (print): 0033-2917
ISSN (electronic): 1469-8978
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291716000702
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291716000702
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