Open access
Illness Severity and Longitudinal Gray Matter Volumes Among People With Major Depressive Disorder
A. Kraus
J. Goltermann
T. Borgers
K. Dohm
D. Grotegerd
Elisabeth Schrammen
K. Flinkenflügel
V. Enneking
E. Leehr
Joscha Böhnlein
N. Winter
Alea Bexten
T. Hahn
Jochen Bauer
M. Gruber
Jonathan Repple
Katharina Förster
E. Mennigen
Nils Opel
T. Kircher
S. Meinert
U. Dannlowski
Medicine
Abstract
Key Points Question Are gray matter volume (GMV) trajectories over the long-term course of major depressive disorder (MDD) associated with cumulative or acute illness severity? Findings In this 10-year case-control study including 206 participants, fronto-limbic GMV changes were significantly associated with individual cumulative illness trajectories, rather than acute symptom fluctuations or categorial diagnosis alone. GMV changes ranged from progressive decline to relative stability, depending on cumulative illness severity. Meaning This study suggests that cumulative illness burden is a key factor associated with brain structural decline in MDD, while also suggesting potential reversibility in more favorable disease courses.