White-matter tract integrity in late-life depression: associations with severity and cognition

BackgroundAlthough significant changes in both gray and white matter have been noted in late-life depression (LLD), the pathophysiology of implicated white-matter tracts has not been fully described. In this study we examined the integrity of specific white-matter tracts in LLD versus healthy controls (HC).MethodParticipants aged ⩾60 years were recruited from the community. The sample included 23 clinically diagnosed individuals with LLD and 23 HC. White-matter integrity metrics [fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD)] were calculated in the bilateral cingulum and uncinate fasciculus. Depression severity was measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD). Composite scores for learning and memory and executive function were created using standardized neuropsychological assessments.ResultsWhite-matter integrity was lower in LLD versus HC in the bilateral cingulum and right uncinate fasciculus (p⩽0.05). In the whole sample, depression severity correlated with integrity in the bilateral cingulum and right uncinate fasciculus (p ⩽0.05). In patients, depression severity correlated with the integrity of the left uncinate fasciculus (p = 0.03); this tract also correlated with executive function (p = 0.02). Among HC, tract integrity did not correlate with depression scores; however, learning and memory correlated with integrity of the bilateral uncinate fasciculus and bilateral cingulum; executive function correlated with the right uncinate and left cingulum (p ⩽0.05).ConclusionsWhite-matter tract integrity was lower in LLD than in HC and was associated with depression severity across all participants. Tract integrity was associated with cognition in both groups but more robustly among HC.

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Association of White Matter Integrity With Executive Function and Antidepressant Treatment Outcome in Patients With Late-Life Depression

American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.004 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaofu He ◽

Elena Pueraro ◽

Yoojean Kim ◽

Carolina Montes Garcia ◽

Ben Maas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Treatment Outcome ◽

Executive Function ◽

White Matter ◽

Antidepressant Treatment ◽

Late Life ◽

White Matter Integrity ◽

Late Life Depression

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Increased White Matter Hyperintensity and Impact on Executive Function in Suicide Attempters with Late-Life Depression

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3685925 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Chemin Lin ◽

Huang Chih-Mao ◽

Helmet Karim ◽

Ho-Ling Liu ◽

Tatia M.C. Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

White Matter ◽

Late Life ◽

White Matter Hyperintensity ◽

Late Life Depression ◽

Suicide Attempters

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A comparison of neurocognitive impairment in younger and older adults with major depression

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291708004042 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 39 (5) ◽

pp. 725-733 ◽

Cited By ~ 65

Author(s):

A. J. Thomas ◽

P. Gallagher ◽

L. J. Robinson ◽

R. J. Porter ◽

A. H. Young ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Executive Function ◽

Learning And Memory ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Late Life ◽

Neurocognitive Impairment ◽

Control Group ◽

Motor Speed ◽

Late Life Depression ◽

Depression Group

BackgroundNeurocognitive impairment is a well-recognized feature of depression that has been reported in younger and older adults. Similar deficits occur with ageing and it is unclear whether the greater deficits in late-life depression are an ageing-related phenomenon or due to a difference in the nature of late-life depression itself. We hypothesized that ageing alone would not fully explain the increased neurocognitive impairment in late-life depression but that differences in the illness explain the greater decrements in memory and executive function.MethodComparison of the neuropsychological performance of younger (<60 years) and older (⩾60 years) adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy comparison subjects. Scores for each depression group were normalized against their respective age-matched control group and the primary comparisons were on four neurocognitive domains: (i) attention and executive function; (ii) verbal learning and memory; (iii) visuospatial learning and memory; and (iv) motor speed.ResultsWe recruited 75 subjects with MDD [<60 years (n=44), ⩾60 years (n=31)] and 82 psychiatrically healthy comparison subjects [<60 years (n=42), ⩾60 years (n=40)]. The late-life depression group had greater impairment in verbal learning and memory and motor speed but not in executive function. The two depressed groups did not differ in depression severity, global cognitive function, intelligence or education.ConclusionsLate-life depression is associated with more severe impairment in verbal learning and memory and motor speed than depression in earlier adult life and this is not due to ageing alone.

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Greater White Matter Hyperintensities and the Association with Executive Function in Suicide Attempters with Late-life Depression

Neurobiology of Aging ◽

10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2020.12.016 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chemin Lin ◽

Chih-Mao Huang ◽

Helmet T. Karim ◽

Ho-Ling Liu ◽

Tatia Mei-Chun Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

White Matter ◽

White Matter Hyperintensities ◽

Late Life ◽

Late Life Depression ◽

Suicide Attempters

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Does the Framingham Stroke Risk Profile predict white-matter changes in late-life depression?

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610211002183 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 524-531 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Charlotte L. Allan ◽

Claire E. Sexton ◽

Ukwuori G. Kalu ◽

Lisa M. McDermott ◽

Mika Kivimäki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Corpus Callosum ◽

Stroke Risk ◽

Late Life ◽

Risk Profile ◽

The Body ◽

White Matter Integrity ◽

Late Life Depression ◽

White Matter Changes ◽

Depressed Group

ABSTRACTBackground: Cardiovascular risk factors and diseases are important etiological factors in depression, particularly late-life depression. Brain changes associated with vascular disease and depression can be detected using magnetic resonance imaging. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), we investigated whether the Framingham Stroke Risk Profile (FSRP), a well-validated risk prediction algorithm, is associated with changes in white-matter connectivity. We hypothesized that depressed participants would show reduced white-matter integrity with higher FSRP, and non-depressed controls (matched for mean vascular risk) would show minimal co-variance with white-matter changes.Methods: Thirty-six participants with major depression (age 71.8 ± 7.7 years, mean FSRP 10.3 ± 7.6) and 25 controls (age 71.8 ± 7.3 years, mean FSRP 10.1 ± 7.7) were clinically interviewed and examined, followed by 60-direction DTI on a 3.0 Tesla scanner. Image analysis was performed using FSL tools (www.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/fsl) to assess the correlation between FSRP and fractional anisotropy (FA). Voxelwise statistical analysis of the FA data was carried out using Tract Based Spatial Statistics. The significance threshold for correlations was set at p < 0.05 using threshold-free cluster-enhancement. Partial correlation analysis investigated significant correlations in each group.Results: Participants in the depressed group showed highly significant correlations between FSRP and FA within the body of corpus callosum (r = −0.520, p = 0.002), genu of corpus callosum (r = −0.468, p = 0.005), splenium of corpus callosum (r = −0.536, p = 0.001), and cortico-spinal tract (r = −0.473, p = 0.005). In controls, there was only one significant correlation in the body of corpus callosum (r = −0.473, p = 0.023).Conclusions: FSRP is associated with impairment in white-matter integrity in participants with depression; these results suggest support for the vascular depression hypothesis.

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White matter integrity and late-life depression in community-dwelling individuals: diffusion tensor imaging study using tract-based spatial statistics

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.113.142109 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 205 (4) ◽

pp. 315-320 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Simone Reppermund ◽

Lin Zhuang ◽

Wei Wen ◽

Melissa J. Slavin ◽

Julian N. Trollor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

White Matter ◽

Spatial Statistics ◽

Late Life ◽

White Matter Integrity ◽

Late Life Depression ◽

White Matter Changes ◽

History Of ◽

Tract Based Spatial Statistics ◽

History Of Depression

BackgroundLate-life depression has been associated with white matter changes in studies using the regions of interest approach.AimsTo investigate the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationship between white matter integrity and depression in community-dwelling individuals using diffusion tensor imaging with tract-based spatial statistics.MethodThe sample comprised 381 participants aged between 72 and 92 years who were assessed twice within 2 years. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale. Tract-based spatial statistics were applied to investigate white matter integrity in currently depressed v. non-depressed elderly people and in those with a history of depression v. no history of depression. The relationship between white matter integrity and development of depressive symptoms after 2 years were analysed with logistic regression.ResultsIndividuals with current depression had widespread white matter integrity reduction compared with non-depressed elderly people. Significant fractional anisotropy reductions were found in 45 brain areas with the most notable findings in the frontal lobe, association and projection fibres. A history of depression was not associated with reduced fractional anisotropy. White matter changes in the superior frontal gyrus, posterior thalamic radiation, superior longitudinal fasciculus and in the body of corpus callosum predicted depression at follow-up.ConclusionsReduced white matter integrity is associated with late-life depression and predicts future depressive symptoms whereas a history of depression is not related to white matter changes. Disruption to white matter integrity may be a biomarker to predict late-life depression.

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Abstract WMP22: Reduced White Matter Integrity in Acute Stroke Patients With Language Deficits: a Tract-based Spatial Statistics Study

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.47.suppl_1.wmp22 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Pouria Mossahebi ◽

Veena A Nair ◽

Christian La ◽

Justin A Sattin ◽

Vivek Prabhakaran

Keyword(s):

Statistical Analysis ◽

White Matter ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

White Matter Integrity ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Uncinate Fasciculus ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Language Deficits ◽

White Matter Tracts ◽

Left Posterior

Introduction: We examined white matter integrity in acute stroke Patients with Language Deficits. Hypothesis: Microstructural abnormality in specific white matter tracts would show significant reduction in stroke patients with language deficits. Methods: Stroke patients with language deficits (N = 10, mean age = 56.3 years, within 7 days from stroke onset, normed verbal fluency score of less than -1.5), and age- and gender-matched healthy controls without language deficits (N = 10, mean age = 55.6 years, normal verbal fluency score) were scanned on GE750 3T MRI scanners. 3D T1-weighted whole brain BRAVO and DTI data (56 directions, b value = 1000 s/mm2) were collected. Verbal fluency test was administered to all subjects. Fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were generated from a tensor-model fit of eddy current corrected DTI data using FSL software. The skeletonized and fully non-linearly registered FA data were obtained using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) implemented in FSL, and then they were used for voxel-wise statistical analysis across subjects. Corona radiata (CR) (anterior, superior, posterior), cingulum, superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and uncinate fasciculus of both right and left hemisphere from Johns Hopkins University (JHU)-ICBM-DTI-81 white matter labels atlas were used to identify significantly affected white matter tracts revealed by TBSS. Student t-tests were used to compare group means for normally distributed data and Mann-Whitney U tests to compare group means for non-normal data. Statistical analysis was performed using StatPlus package. Significance was set at p <.05. Results: There was a significant reduction of FA in the left SLF, left superior CR, and both right and left posterior CR of stroke patients with language deficits compared to healthy controls. A slight trend toward significant reduction of FA was also seen in right superior CR (p = 0.089) of stroke patients with language deficits. No significant group differences in FA value were seen in uncinate fasciculus and cingulum. Conclusions: Stroke patients with language deficits showed significant reduction in FA values in functionally relevant white matter tracts such as the left SLF, left superior CR, and both right and left posterior CR.

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