Cortisol is not associated with pre-treatment medial temporal lobe volume or volume changes after electroconvulsive therapy in patients with late-life depression. (30th September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Laroy, Maarten; Weydts, Justien; Vansteelandt, Kristof; Emsell, Louise; Adamson, Christopher; Sienaert, Pascal; Dols, Annemiek; Rhebergen, Didi; Stek, Max; Vandenbulcke, Mathieu; Bouckaert, Filip
• Is Part Of: Psychiatry research. Volume 291(2019)
• Page Start: 26
• Page End: 33
• Publication Date: 2019-09-30
• Subjects: Depressive disorder -- Hippocampus -- Amygdala -- Limbic system -- Magnetic resonance imaging; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Brain -- Imaging -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Diagnostic Imaging -- Periodicals; Psychiatrie -- Périodiques; Cerveau -- Imagerie pour le diagnostic -- Périodiques; 616.890754
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.07.006
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0925-4927

Abstract

Highlights: Pre-treatment MTL volumes in patients with LLD are unrelated to cortisol levels. ECT-induced volume changes in the amygdala and hippocampus are unrelated to cortisol. Our data do not support the relationship between cortisol and MTL atrophy in LLD. Abstract: Accumulating evidence suggests that late-life depression is associated with reduced hippocampal volume and that cortisol might be related to this volumetric reduction. We explored whether cortisol awaking response (CAR), which is the increase in cortisol after awakening, was associated with volumetric changes in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in 41 patients (age ≥ 55) treated for major depressive disorder (MDD) with ECT. Cortisol was measured before the start of the ECT treatment and was related to MTL volumes derived from structural T1-weighted images. The study assessed associations between CAR and pre-treatment MTL volumes, and CAR and ECT-induced MTL volumetric changes. There were no significant correlations found between CAR, operationalized as Area Under the Curve with respect to ground (AUCg) and Area Under the Curve with respect to increase (AUCi), and pre-treatment MTL volumes. Neither was there an association between AUCg or AUCi and the ECT-induced changes in MTL volumes after correction for multiple comparisons. Finally, neither AUCg or AUCi were able to predict ECT-induced volumetric changes in the MTL. Hence, we conclude that CAR is unrelated to pre-treatment hippocampus and amygdala volumes, and to the volumetric changes in the aforementioned areas following ECT.