Structural brain correlates in major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder: a diffusion tensor imaging meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: The high comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety disorders (ANX), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) complicates the study of their structural neural correlates, particularly in white matter (WM) alterations. Using fractional anisotropy (FA), this meta-analysis aimed to identify both unique and shared WM characteristics for these disorders by comparing them with healthy controls (HC). The aggregated sample size across studies includes 3,661 individuals diagnosed with MDD, ANX, or PTSD and 3,140 HC participants. The whole-brain analysis revealed significant FA reductions in the corpus callosum (CC) across MDD, ANX, and PTSD, suggesting a common neurostructural alteration underlying these disorders. Further pairwise comparisons highlighted disorder-specific differences

SUBMITTER: Guo Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12315647 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature