PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ke Xu
AU  - Wenyan Jiang
AU  - Ling Ren
AU  - Xuan Ouyang
AU  - Yifeng Jiang
AU  - Feng Wu
AU  - Lingtao Kong
AU  - Fay Womer
AU  - Zhening Liu
AU  - Hilary P. Blumberg
AU  - Yanqing Tang
AU  - Fei Wang
TI  - Impaired interhemispheric connectivity in medication-naive patients with major depressive disorder
AID  - 10.1503/jpn.110132
DP  - 2013 Jan 01
TA  - Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
PG  - 43--48
VI  - 38
IP  - 1
4099  - http://jpn.ca/content/38/1/43.short
4100  - http://jpn.ca/content/38/1/43.full
SO  - J Psychiatry Neurosci2013 Jan 01; 38
AB  - Background: Abnormalities in the anterior interhemispheric connections provided by the corpus callosum (CC) have long been implicated in major depressive disorder (MDD). The purpose of this study was to investigate interhemispheric connectivity in medication-naive patients with MDD by measuring fractional anisotropy in the CC with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques.Methods: We obtained DTI scans from medication-naive patients with MDD and from matched healthy controls. Fractional anisotropy values were compared using semiautomatic region of interest methods to localize the regional CC differences between these 2 groups.Results: We enrolled 27 patients and 27 controls in our study. Fractional anisotropy values were significantly lower in the anterior genu of the CC in the MDD group than in the control group (p = 0.009, corrected); results were not significantly different in any other CC subregions.Limitations: As patients with MDD were already experiencing acute episodes, future studies of individuals at risk for MDD are warranted to elucidate the interhemispheric connectivity abnormalities associated with the predisposition to MDD.Conclusion: The findings demonstrate abnormalities in the structural integrity of the anterior genu of the CC in medication-naive individuals with MDD, which may contribute to impairment of interhemispheric connectivity in patients with this disorder.