Amygdala und MR-morphometrische Korrelate ängstlicher und depressiver Risikophänotypen

Hintergrund: Volumetrische Veränderungen der Amygdala sind insbesondere bei klinisch manifester Angststörung, aber auch im Rahmen von Depressionen in zahlreichen Studien beschrieben worden. Deutlich unklarer bleibt aktuell jedoch die Assoziation zwischen Volumenveränderungen der Amygdala und subklin...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Adamy, Ronja Luise
Contributors: Nenadić, Igor (Prof. Dr.) (Thesis advisor)
Format: Doctoral Thesis
Language:German
Published: Philipps-Universität Marburg 2024
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Background: Changes in volume of the amygdala have been described especially in clinically manifested anxiety disorder, but also in the context of depression by many studies. Yet the association between volume changes of the amygdala and subclinical phenotypes remains unclear. Assuming the dimensional expression of depression and anxiety disorder (ranging from absence of symptoms to clinically manifest disorder), the correlation of the morphometric spectrum to the functional spectrum remains insufficiently explained. Methods: Structural changes of the brain in a total of 591 subjects (345 healthy controls and 246 patients with depression) have been analyzed with help of voxel- based morphometrics of high resolution in vivo MRI. Based on correlation- and interaction analyses as well as mediation and moderation models the connection between state- and trait-markers of the affective and anxiety disorder spectrum and volumetric changes of the amygdala has been analysed. Results: A correlation between amygdala volume and state markers of depressive symptoms as well as a correlation between amygdala volume and neuroticism as a trait risk factor for anxiety and depressive symptoms could not be shown. Also a mediating or moderating function of the neuroticism in connection with amygdala volume and depressive symptoms is not detectable in this cohort. Conclusions: The present study extends the results of existing case control studies in the field of clinical manifest anxiety disorder and depression as well as existing single case studies about subclinical phenotypes. The present study may deepen the understanding of a dimensional model of affective symptoms as well as the interaction of affective symptoms with function, structure and volume of the amygdala and with trait risk factors like neuroticism.