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Anxiety symptoms are associated with smaller insular and orbitofrontal cortex volumes in late-life depression
Published Web Location
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.05.066Abstract
Background
Increasing understanding of the neural correlates of anxiety symptoms in late-life depression (LLD) could inform the development of more targeted and effective treatments.Methods
Grey matter volume (GMV) was assessed with volumetric magnetic resonance imaging in a sample of 113 adults ≥60 years with MDD using the following regions of interest: amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), insula, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and temporal cortex.Results
After controlling for demographic (age, sex, education) and clinical variables (antidepressant use, anxiolytic use, duration of illness, medical comorbidity, cognitive functioning), greater severity of anxiety symptoms was associated with lower GMV bilaterally in the insula, F(1,102) = 6.63, p = 0.01, and OFC, F(1,102) = 8.35, p = 0.005. By contrast, depressive symptom severity was significantly associated with lower bilateral insula volumes, F(1,102) = 6.43, p = 0.01, but not OFC volumes, F(1,102) = 5.37, p = 0.02.Limitations
Limitations include (1) the relatively mild nature of anxiety symptoms in our sample; (2) the cross-sectional research design, which prohibits inferences of directionality; (3) the relatively homogenous demographic of the sample, and (4) the exclusion of participants with significant psychiatric comorbidity, suicidality, or cognitive impairment.Conclusions
Decreased OFC volumes may serve as a unique biomarker of anxiety symptoms in LLD. Future longitudinal and clinical studies with long-term follow up and more diverse samples will help further elucidate the biological, psychological, and social factors affecting associations between anxiety and brain morphology in LLD.Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.
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