TY - JOUR
T1 - White matter microstructure relates to lassitude but not diagnosis in adolescents with depression
AU - Cullen, Kathryn R
AU - Brown, Roland
AU - Schreiner, Melinda Westlund
AU - Eberly, Lynn E
AU - Klimes-Dougan, Bonnie
AU - Reigstad, Kristina M
AU - Hill, Dawson
AU - Lim, Kelvin O
AU - Mueller, Bryon A
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2020/10/1
Y1 - 2020/10/1
N2 - The neurobiology of adolescent depression remains poorly understood. Initial studies suggested impaired white matter microstructure in adults and adolescents, but findings have not been consistent. Challenges in this literature have included small samples, medication confounds and inconsistent correction for type I error. This study addressed these issues in a new examination of fractional anisotropy (FA) in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) using diffusion tensor imaging. We examined FA in 81 adolescents aged 12–19 (44 MDD [all unmedicated], 37 controls). We conducted logistic regression analyses to examine the odds of MDD versus control based on FA within standard white matter tracts that were delineated by probabilistic tractography. We also examined relationships between FA and disease severity (overall depression and dimensions of illness). Finally, we conducted a voxel-wise group comparison of FA. All analyses covaried for age, sex and socioeconomic status, and applied rigorous corrections for multiple testing. Logistic regression did not reveal significant associations between diagnosis and FA within white matter tracts defined by probabilistic tractography. Dimensional analyses revealed that greater lassitude was associated with higher FA in right cingulum bundle and bilateral corticospinal tracts, but with lower FA in right anterior thalamic radiation. Voxel-wise group comparisons of FA did not reveal significant group differences. The current findings do not support low FA as a neurobiological marker of adolescent depression. Dimensional results suggest that FA relates to lassitude but not overall depression. Given the clinical and neurobiological heterogeneity of depression, future work utilizing dimensional approaches may help elucidate the role of white matter microstructure in adolescent depression neurobiology.
AB - The neurobiology of adolescent depression remains poorly understood. Initial studies suggested impaired white matter microstructure in adults and adolescents, but findings have not been consistent. Challenges in this literature have included small samples, medication confounds and inconsistent correction for type I error. This study addressed these issues in a new examination of fractional anisotropy (FA) in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) using diffusion tensor imaging. We examined FA in 81 adolescents aged 12–19 (44 MDD [all unmedicated], 37 controls). We conducted logistic regression analyses to examine the odds of MDD versus control based on FA within standard white matter tracts that were delineated by probabilistic tractography. We also examined relationships between FA and disease severity (overall depression and dimensions of illness). Finally, we conducted a voxel-wise group comparison of FA. All analyses covaried for age, sex and socioeconomic status, and applied rigorous corrections for multiple testing. Logistic regression did not reveal significant associations between diagnosis and FA within white matter tracts defined by probabilistic tractography. Dimensional analyses revealed that greater lassitude was associated with higher FA in right cingulum bundle and bilateral corticospinal tracts, but with lower FA in right anterior thalamic radiation. Voxel-wise group comparisons of FA did not reveal significant group differences. The current findings do not support low FA as a neurobiological marker of adolescent depression. Dimensional results suggest that FA relates to lassitude but not overall depression. Given the clinical and neurobiological heterogeneity of depression, future work utilizing dimensional approaches may help elucidate the role of white matter microstructure in adolescent depression neurobiology.
KW - Adolescent
KW - Depression
KW - Diffusion tensor imaging
KW - Fractional anisotropy
KW - White matter
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U2 - 10.1007/s11682-019-00078-8
DO - 10.1007/s11682-019-00078-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 30887416
AN - SCOPUS:85063218146
SN - 1931-7557
VL - 14
SP - 1507
EP - 1520
JO - Brain Imaging and Behavior
JF - Brain Imaging and Behavior
IS - 5
ER -