Abnormal gray matter volume of MRI in the somatic symptoms of depression / 中国神经精神疾病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore specific magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)features of somatic symptoms in depression by comparing the differences of brain gray matter volume in depression patients with and without somatic symptoms using voxel-based morphometry(VBM).Methods A total of 52 depression patients were recruited and divided into somatic and no somatic symptoms group according to the patient health questionnaire-15 score(＞9 and≤9,respectively).Forty gender-age-matched healthy volunteers were recruited as the control group.All subjects underwent MRI scanning.Imaging data were analyzed to explore the differences in brain gray matter between groups using VBM.Results Compared with control group,gray matter volume increased in the right superior temporal gyrus,and decreased in the right inferior orbitofrontal gyrus,right inferior temporal gyrus,left inferior orbitofrontal gyrus,and left superior temporal gyrus for depressive patients with somatic symptoms(P＜0.001);gray matter volume increased in the right middle temporal gyrus,and decreased in the right superior temporal gyrus and right inferior temporal gyrus for depressive patients without somatic symptoms(P＜0.001).Only the volume in the right tongue and left cingulate gyrus increased in depressive patients with somatic symptoms compared with that in patients without somatic symptoms(P＜0.01).Conclusion VBM-MRI has demonstrated increased volume in the tongue and cingulate gyrus in the somatic symptoms of depression.