Small hippocampus associated with depression in the elderly: Risk factor or shrinkage?

July 19, 2011 in Psychology & Psychiatry

Imaging studies have repeatedly found that people with depression have smaller hippocampal volumes than healthy individuals. The hippocampus is a brain region involved in learning and memory, spatial navigation, and the evaluation of complex life situations or "contexts". However, because in prior studies hippocampal volume was only measured in people once they became depressed, it has been unclear whether a small hippocampus renders a person vulnerable to developing depression, or whether it is a consequence of depression.

A new study published in Biological Psychiatry has approached that problem by following a large population of elderly individuals over a 10 year period.

Researchers performed an initial imaging scan on subjects to obtain a baseline measurement of their hippocampal volume and then performed follow-up scans 5 and 10 years later. During this time, they also repeatedly assessed the individuals for both depressive symptoms and depressive disorders.

Corresponding author Dr. Tom den Heijer explains their findings: "We found that persons with a smaller hippocampus were not at higher risk to develop depression. In contrast, those with depression declined in volume over time. Our study therefore suggests that a small hippocampal volume in depressed patients is more likely an effect of the depression rather than a cause."

"The principal importance of this type of research is that it may provide insight into age-related impairments in the function of the hippocampus," reflected Dr. John Krystal, Editor of . "For example, in Alzheimer's disease, memory problems and disorientation are prominent symptoms, reflecting among other things the impaired function of the hippocampus."

Future studies will be needed to better understand whether current treatments protect the hippocampus and hippocampal function.

More information: The article is "A Study of the Bidirectional Association Between Hippocampal Volume on Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Depression in the Elderly" by Tom den Heijer, Henning Tiemeier, Hendrika J. Luijendijk, Fedde van der Lijn, Peter J. Koudstaal, Albert Hofman, and Monique M.B. Breteler. The authors are affiliated with Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. den Heijer is also from Sint Franciscus Gasthuis, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Luijendijk is also from Bavo, Europoort, the Netherlands. The article appears in Biological Psychiatry, Volume 70, Number 2 (July 15, 2011)

Provided by Elsevier

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • A question about drug tolerance
    createdMay 23, 2012
  • Poor nutrition leading to overeating?
    createdMay 23, 2012
  • Math and dyslexia?
    createdMay 21, 2012
  • portable metabolism meter?
    createdMay 21, 2012
  • Rare medical conditions on 20/20 tonight
    createdMay 18, 2012
  • "Good" Cholesterol in Doubt
    createdMay 17, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences

More news stories

More mental health care urged for kids who self-harm

(HealthDay) -- Doctors have long known that some kids suffering severe emotional turmoil find relief in physical pain -- cutting or burning or sticking themselves with pins to achieve a form of release.

Psychology & Psychiatry created 4 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Questionable research practices surprisingly common

(Medical Xpress) -- Not all scientific misconduct is flat-out fraud. Much falls into the murkier realm of “questionable research practices.” A new study finds that in one field, psychology, these practices are surprisingly ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created 8 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Feeling strong emotions makes peoples' brains 'tick together'

Experiencing strong emotions synchronises brain activity across individuals, research team at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre in Finland has revealed.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 24, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Formal recognition of PMDD will lift stigma for women

A decision to recognise premenstrual dysphoric disorder as a genuine psychiatric condition will finally provide “validation for this awful and poorly understood” syndrome and alleviate the stigma ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 24, 2012 | popularity 2 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Long-term meditation leads to different brain organization

(Medical Xpress) -- People who practice mindfulness meditation learn to accept their feelings, emotions, and states of mind without judging or resisting them. They simply live in the moment.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 24, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Of mice and mental models: Neuroscientific implications of risk-optimized behavior in the mouse

(Medical Xpress) -- Regardless of an organism’s biological complexity, every encephalized animal continuously makes under-informed behavioral choices that can have serious consequences. Despite its ubiquity, ...

Cancer may require simpler genetic mutations than previously thought

Chromosomal deletions in DNA often involve just one of two gene copies inherited from either parent. But scientists haven't known how a deletion in one gene from one parent, called a "hemizygous" deletion, can contribute ...

Early physical therapist treatment associated with reduced risk of healthcare utilization and reduced overall healthcare

A new study published in Spine shows that early treatment by a physical therapist for low back pain (LBP), as compared to delayed treatment, was associated with reduced risk of subsequent healthcare utilization and lower ...

Skp2 activates cancer-promoting, glucose-processing Akt

HER2 and its epidermal growth factor receptor cousins mobilize a specialized protein to activate a major player in cancer development and sugar metabolism, scientists report in the May 25 issue of Cell.

Inherited DNA change explains overactive leukemia gene

A small inherited change in DNA is largely responsible for overactivating a gene linked to poor treatment response in people with acute leukemia.

Implantable pain disk may help those with cancer

An estimated 3.5 million cancer patients around the globe are in severe pain from their disease, but many get no relief.