Familial risk for major depression: differential white matter alterations in healthy and depressed participants.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with alterations in brain white matter (WM) microstructure. However, diffusion tensor imaging studies in biological relatives have presented contradicting results on WM alterations and their potential as biomarkers for vulnerability or resilience. To shed more light on associations between WM microstructure and resilience to familial risk, analyses including both healthy and depressed relatives of MDD patients are needed.

Methods

In a 2 (MDD v. healthy controls, HC) × 2 (familial risk yes v. no) design, we investigated fractional anisotropy (FA) via tract-based spatial statistics in a large well-characterised adult sample (N = 528), with additional controls for childhood maltreatment, a potentially confoun

SUBMITTER: Winter A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10476061 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature