Table 16.
Morphometric Analyses of the Orbito-Frontal Cortex in MDD.
| Study | Sample | Age | Method | Age of Onset | Duration of Illness/# Episodes | Family History of Illness | Clinical Status at Testing | Medication Status | Comorbidity | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Parashos et al 1998) | 72 MDD 38 HC |
55.4±16.8 55.1±17.1 |
1.5T 5mm ROI |
38.5±19.0 | NR | NR | Depressed | NR | NR | No differences in OFC volume. |
| (Lai et al 2000) | 20 MDD 20 HC |
66.65±5.65 71.79±4.44 |
1.5T 3mm ROI |
44.75±18.03 | 3.75 (hosp) | NR | Moderately depressed | 15 AD | No major psychiatric disorder, substance dependence, primary neurological illness | Bilateral reduction of orbital PFC in MDD |
| (MacFall et al 2001) | 88 MDD 47 HC |
72.6±7.9 72.2±6.3 |
1.5 3mm VBM |
49.3±22.6 | NR | NR | Depressed | NR | NR | Increased lesion density of medial OFC which correlated with severity of depression. −18, 40, −10 |
| (Bremner et al 2002) | 15 MDD 20 HC |
43±8 45±11 |
1.5T 3mm ROI |
NR | 2±3 (episodes) | NR | Remitted | AD | Current substance abusers excluded. No history of schizophrenia, PTSD. About 20% of sample had past history of substance abuse. | Medial OFC (gyrus rectus) reduced by 32% in MDD. |
| (Steffens et al 2003) | 30 MDD 40 HC |
69.60±7.15 70.90±6.13 |
1.5T 3mm ROI |
NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | No other major psychiatric illness, substance dependence, primary neurological illness | Bilateral reduction of orbital PFC in MDD |
| (Taylor et al 2003) | 41 MDD 40 HC |
68.73±6.98 71.42±6.07 |
1.5T 3mm ROI |
NR | NR | NR | Depressed | AD | No other major psychiatric illness, substance dependence, primary neurological illness | Smaller medial orbitofrontal gyri volume in MDD. OFC volume also associated with functional impairment |
| (Ballmaier et al 2004) | 24 MDD 19 HC |
65.85±8.18 66.24±7.25 |
1.5T 1.4mm ROI |
35.0±3.45 | 2±3 (episodes) | NR | Depressed | No medication for 2+ weeks before imaging | No history of dementia, neurological disorder, BD, alcohol abuse | BL volume reduction of OFC (12%) + gyrus rectus (19–24%) in MDD |
| (Hastings et al 2004) | 18 MDD 18 HC |
38.9±11.4 34.8±13.6 |
1.5T 1.5mm ROI |
23±12.3 | 4.7±4.4 (episodes) | Mixed | Depressed | Not medicated at time of scan. | No other axis I disorders. No current drug abuse | No significant differences. |
| (Janssen et al 2004) | 28 MDD 41 HC |
64.04±10.9 62.37±11.38 |
1.5T 1.2–5mm ROI |
33.04±9.48 | 93.5±17.5 months | NR | Depressed | 22 AD, 4 lithium, 1 BZ. | NR | No significant differences in orbitofrontal volume |
| (Lacerda et al 2004) | 31 MDD 34 HC |
39.26±11.9 37.03±11.88 |
1.5T 1.5mm ROI |
27.94±11.64 | 11.42±10.47 | NR | 19 depressed, 12 euthymic | Patients drug free for 2+ weeks | No axis I comorbidity, head injury, substance abuse in last 6 months | GM decrease in R medial OFC + L lateral OFC in MDD. Trends for L medial + R lateral OFC. No volume differences between euthymic + acutely ill patients. |
| (Lavretsky et al 2004) | 41 MDD 41 HC |
70.5±7.6 72.2±7.3 |
1.5T 1.4mm |
48.5±23.5 | 2.7±2.7 (episodes) | NR | Depressed | No medication for 2+ weeks | No substance abuse, dementia or other neurological disorder | Smaller total and GM volumes of OFC in MDD |
| (Nobuhara et al 2006) | 13 MDD 13 HC |
62.8±6.6 61.5±4.8 |
DTI 1.5T 6mm (2mm gap) ROI |
52.9±7.3 | 4.0±2.6 | NR | Depressed | AD | No dementia, severe medical illness, neurological disorders | Negative association between integrity of WM tracts in medial orbital cortex + severity of depression. |
| (Chen et al 2007a) | 17 MDD | 44.06±8.36 | MRI 1.5T 3mm |
NR | NR | NR | Depressed | Scanned before and after treatment with fluoxetine. Patients off medication 4+ weeks before study. | No current axis I comorbidity or substance abuse within 2 months of study. Personality disorders not assessed. | Baseline severity of depression negatively correlated with GM volume of R OFC BA 11 34; 60; −6 |