Published online Jun 19, 2023. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v13.i6.386
Peer-review started: March 31, 2023
First decision: May 9, 2023
Revised: May 15, 2023
Accepted: May 24, 2023
Article in press: May 24, 2023
Published online: June 19, 2023
Processing time: 80 Days and 5 Hours
The prevalence of depression in adolescents is high and research is scarce. Therefore, it is urgent to investigate depressed adolescents.
In-depth neurobiological studies investigating the pathophysiology of depression are urgently needed to develop effective treatments to help adolescents escape the symptoms of this debilitating illness. Several studies have documented the role of the cerebellum in psychiatric disorders, which is rarely mentioned in the imaging of depression, emphasizing the need for further research on the depressed brain.
We aimed to detect structural and functional changes in depressed adolescents. These changes may be relevant to better prevention and treatment of adolescent depression. We found that adolescents with depression exhibit various structural changes in the brain and alter cerebral blood flow in the left syphilitic spiral and right percent gyrus.
This study recruited 34 adolescents with depression and 34 matched healthy control (HC) individuals. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) discovers structural changes in the brain; Cerebral blood flow (CBF) explore functional changes in the brain; 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) measures depression; t-test assess statistical differences.
We found that patients with adolescent depression exhibit various structural changes in the brain and altered CBF in the left pallidum and right percental gyrus. These findings may provide new insights into the pathophysiology of this disruptive psychological disorder and provide strong imaging evidence to support the hypothesis that these regions are involved in cognition and disease-related pathogenesis. Future applications of these findings have the potential to guide better prevention and treatment of depression in adolescents.
New theory: Our study provides imaging evidence that supports the hypothesis that cerebellum is involved in cognition and disease-related pathogenesis. New method: We first combined VBM and CBF to examine the brains of depressed adolescents.
Incorporating imaging data into the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders.