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Cerebral perfusion correlates of depressed mood

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Klaus P. Ebmeier*
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Jonathan T. O. Cavanagh
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Anthony P. R. Moffoot
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Michael F. Glabus
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Ronan E. O'Carroll
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Guy M. Goodwin
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
*
Dr K. P. Ebmeier, MRC Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH10 5HF

Abstract

Background

The spontaneous diurnal variation of mood and other symptoms provides a substrate for the examination of the relationship between symptoms and regional brain activation in depression.

Method

Twenty unipolar depressed patients with diurnal variation of mood were examined at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. with neuropsychological measures, clinical ratings and single photon emission tomography (SPET). Brain perfusion maps were spatially transformed into standard stereotactic space and compared pixel-by-pixel. A parametric (correlational) analysis was used to examine the relationship between symptom severity and brain perfusion, both between and within subjects.

Results

Global depression severity and an independent ‘vital’ depression factor were associated in subjects with increased perfusion in cingulate and other paralimbic areas. In addition there was a probable association between an increase in an anxious-depression factor and reduced frontal neocortical perfusion.

Conclusions

Depressive symptom changes are associated with metabolic changes in the cingulate gyrus and associated paralimbic structures.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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