Ventromedial prefrontal cortex thinning in preschool-onset depression.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) is a key center of affect regulation and processing, fundamental aspects of emotional competence which are disrupted in mood disorders. Structural alterations of VMPFC have consistently been observed in adult major depression and are associated with depression severity, yet it is unknown whether young children with depression demonstrate similar abnormalities. We investigated cortical thickness differences in the VMPFC of children with a history of preschool-onset depression (PO-MDD).

Methods

Participants in a longitudinal study of PO-MDD underwent structural brain imaging between the ages of 7 and 12 years. Using local cortical distance metrics, cortical thickness of the VMPFC was compared in children with and without a

SUBMITTER: Marrus N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4772729 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature