Title
Structural brain alterations in patients with major depressive disorder and high risk for suicide: Evidence for a distinct neurobiological entity?
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with a considerably increased risk for suicide. There is evidence to suggest that a predisposition to suicidal behavior may exist which is independent of the disorder itself. Furthermore, suicide attempters with mood disorders have an up to sixfold higher rate of suicidal behavior in first-degree relatives than non-suicidal patients. Genetic and nongenetic factors may play a role in the familial transmission of suicidal behavior. One of these factors may be neurobiological alterations, the knowledge about which is still limited. The main goal was therefore to study morphometric brain abnormalities in the hypothesized fronto-limbic network in depressed patients with high risk for suicide in contrast to non-high risk depressed patients. 15 patients with MDD and with own suicidal behavior and/or with suicidal behavior in first-degree relatives defined as a high risk group, 15 depressed patients with non-high risk for suicide and 30 matched healthy controls participated in the study. We applied the voxel-based morphometry protocol to structural T1-weighted volumes. Patients with high risk for suicide showed significantly decreased gray matter density in a fronto-striato-limbic network in contrast to matched healthy controls and in caudate and rostral anterior cingulate cortex in contrast to non-high risk patients. In the latter patient group no significant gray matter alterations were detected. This new finding provides evidence for structural brain alterations in depressed patients with high risk for suicide in a brain network strongly involved in emotional and motivational control reflecting a potentially distinct neurobiological entity.
Year
DOI
Venue
2011
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.08.082
NeuroImage
Keywords
Field
DocType
Voxel-based morphometry,Major depression,Suicidal behavior,Rostral anterior cingulate,Caudate
Voxel,Developmental psychology,Brain network,Mood disorders,Clinical psychology,Psychology,Voxel-based morphometry,Anterior cingulate cortex,Psychiatry,Major depressive disorder
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
54
2
1053-8119
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
0
0.34
3
Authors
6
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Gerd Wagner192.10
Kathrin Koch2172.37
Claudia Schachtzabel310.79
C Christoph Schultz400.34
Heinrich Sauer5304.79
Ralf G M Schlösser671.36