| Title | Frontal white matter microstructure and treatment response of late-life depression: a preliminary study. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2002 |
| Authors | Alexopoulos GS, Kiosses DN, Choi SJ, Murphy CF, Lim KO |
| Journal | Am J Psychiatry |
| Volume | 159 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pagination | 1929-32 |
| Date Published | 2002 Nov |
| ISSN | 0002-953X |
| Keywords | Aged, Anisotropy, Citalopram, Corpus Striatum, Depressive Disorder, Major, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Dominance, Cerebral, Echo-Planar Imaging, Female, Frontal Lobe, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neural Pathways, Neuropsychological Tests, Treatment Failure, Treatment Outcome |
| Abstract | OBJECTIVE: This study tested the hypothesis that microstructural abnormalities in white matter areas of the brain containing frontostriatal tracts are associated with a low rate of remission of geriatric depression. METHOD: Thirteen older patients with major depression received open, but controlled, treatment with citalopram at a target daily dose of 40 mg for 12 weeks. Diffusion tensor imaging was used to determine fractional anisotropy in preselected white matter regions. RESULTS: Survival analysis with Cox's proportional hazards model revealed that lower fractional anisotropy of the right and the left frontal white matter regions 15 mm above the anterior commissure-posterior commissure plane was associated with a low remission rate after age was considered. Remission was not significantly associated with fractional anisotropy of lower frontal regions or a temporal region. CONCLUSIONS: Microstructural white matter abnormalities lateral to the anterior cingulate may be associated with a low rate of remission of geriatric depression. |
| DOI | 10.1176/appi.ajp.159.11.1929 |
| Alternate Journal | Am J Psychiatry |
| PubMed ID | 12411231 |