Depressive Symptom Dimensions and Their Association with Hippocampal and Entorhinal Cortex Volumes in Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Objective: Research has shown that depression is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and subsequent cognitive decline. This is compounded by evidence showing an association between depression and reduced hippocampal volumes; a primary structure implicated in the pathogenesis of the disease. Less is known about the relationship between depression and other AD vulnerable regions such as the entorhinal cortex. Given the heterogeneity of depressive symptom presentation, we examined whether symptom dimensions were associated with hippocampal and entorhinal cortex volumes in community dwelling older adults.Methods: Eighty-one community dwelling adults completed the Beck Depression Inventory – second edition and underwent structural neuroimaging. Measures of hippocampal and entorhinal cortex volumes were obtained using FreeSurfer software. Linear regression models included regions of interest as dependent variables, with depressive symptom dimensions, as independent variables, controlling for total intracranial volumes, age, education, and gender.Results: Somatic symptoms were negatively associated with total, right, and left hippocampal volumes. Affective symptoms were negatively associated with total entorhinal cortex volumes, with a marginal main effect on left entorhinal cortex volumes.Conclusion: Our findings provide support for examining depressive symptoms and their association with AD vulnerable regions along subdimensions of affective, cognitive, and somatic symptoms to better understand profiles of symptoms most associated with these regions. Conceptualizing depressive symptoms in this way may also better inform treatment approaches in terms of targeting types of symptoms that may be more closely linked to poorer brain and cognitive health outcomes.

Educational Attainment Moderates the Association Between Hippocampal Volumes and Memory Performances in Healthy Older Adults

“…Previous research has shown that age, sex, medical co-morbidity, and depressive symptoms are associated with decreased hippocampal volumes ( Murphy et al, 1996 ; Debette et al, 2011 ; O’Shea et al, 2018 ). Thus, we controlled for these factors in all our analyses.…”

Brain Structure and Subclinical Symptoms: A Dimensional Perspective of Psychopathology in the Depression and Anxiety Spectrum

“…The results are as heterogeneous as the chosen study protocols and raise several concerns that will be addressed later on. One very frequently discussed finding in the most recent studies is an association of hippocampal grey matter with subclinical depressive symptoms [31][32][33][34], mostly a negative correlation. Older studies specifi-cally state no associations between subclinical depressive symptoms and hippocampal volume, though [35][36][37].…”

Neuroimaging Insight Into Fragile X-Associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Literature Review

“…Moreover, technical aspects such as the volumetric techniques used, the image quality or segmentation technique followed might also contribute to explain discrepancies. However, and in consonance, findings of amygdala and hippocampal volumes in mood disorders such as depression or anxiety in non FMR1 premutation carriers have also been conflicting, with some studies reporting positive, negative and no associations (32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46).…”