Hippocampal volume and parahippocampal cingulum alterations are associated with avoidant attachment in patients with depression

Bracht, Tobias; Denier, Niklaus; Wallimann, Meret; Walther, Sebastian; Mertse, Nicolas; Breit, Sigrid; Federspiel, Andrea; Wiest, Roland; Soravia, Leila (2022). Hippocampal volume and parahippocampal cingulum alterations are associated with avoidant attachment in patients with depression. Journal of affective disorders reports, 10(100435), p. 100435. Elsevier 10.1016/j.jadr.2022.100435

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Background: Insecure attachment style (anxious and avoidant) predisposes to the development of depression and has been linked to hippocampal alterations in healthy individuals. However, it is unclear if there are alterations of the hippocampus and the parahippocampal cingulum (PHC) in patients with depression.
Methods: Forty-eight patients with major depressive disorder and 18 healthy controls underwent MP2RAGE and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Attachment characteristics were assessed with the revised adult
attachment scale. Patients were classified into subgroups with low (anxious: n = 27; avoidant: n = 21) and high (anxious: n = 20; avoidant: n = 28) attachment characteristics. Bilateral PHC were reconstructed using manual tractography. Hippocampal volumes, mean fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity (MD) in bilateral PHC were compared between attachment subgroups and healthy controls.
Results: Patients had higher scores of anxious and avoidant attachment, which were associated with depression severity. Patients with high avoidance had decreases in hippocampal volumes in comparison to patients with low
avoidance. Furthermore, patients with high avoidance had increased MD in bilateral PHC in comparison to patients with low avoidance and in comparison to healthy controls.
Limitations: Assessment of attachment characteristics may be influenced by cognitive biases due to depressive symptoms
Conclusions: High attachment avoidance in patients with depression is associated with volume reductions in the hippocampus and impaired PHC-microstructure.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy > UPD Murtenstrasse
04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy > Translational Research Center
04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine (DRNN) > Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology

UniBE Contributor:

Bracht, Tobias, Denier, Niklaus, Walther, Sebastian, Nagysomkuti Mertse, Nicolas Maximilien, Breit, Sigrid, Federspiel, Andrea, Wiest, Roland Gerhard Rudi, Soravia Bachofner, Leila Maria

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

2666-9153

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Daniela Krneta Messmer

Date Deposited:

19 Apr 2023 07:12

Last Modified:

08 Jun 2023 14:52

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.jadr.2022.100435

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Depression, Attachment, Hippocampus, Cingulum, White matter, Diffusion tensor imaging

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/181833

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/181833

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