OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to determine if magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) scans of elderly depressed patients differ from MRI
scans of age-matched control subjects and age-matched patients with
Alzheimer's disease. METHOD: The authors studied 21 patients 60 years or
older with major depression, 16 patients with Alzheimer's disease, and 14
age-matched control subjects. RESULTS: Compared to control subjects,
depressed patients had greater cerebral sulcal and temporal sulcal atrophy;
larger sylvian fissures, lateral ventricles, third ventricles, and temporal
horns; and greater severity of subcortical white matter lesions. Depressed
patients also had more basal ganglia lesions but similar levels of
periventricular hyperintensity. There were no differences between depressed
patients with and without delusions on any MRI measure. Depressed patients
who received ECT had more temporal horn atrophy and greater subcortical
abnormality summary scores than normal subjects. Cortical sulcal atrophy
correlated with age at onset of depression. CONCLUSIONS: The findings
suggest that elderly hospitalized depressed patients have greater cortical
as well as subcortical atrophy and more basal ganglia lesions than
age-matched normal control subjects. The correlation of these abnormalities
with outcome remains unknown.Abstract Teaser