REGIONAL CEREBRAL BLOOD-FLOW IN DEPRESSION MEASURED BY POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY - THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CLINICAL DIMENSIONS

TY - JOUR

T1 - REGIONAL CEREBRAL BLOOD-FLOW IN DEPRESSION MEASURED BY POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY - THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CLINICAL DIMENSIONS

AU - BENCH, C J

AU - FRISTON, K J

AU - BROWN, R G

AU - FRACKOWIAK, R S J

AU - DOLAN, R J

PY - 1993/8

Y1 - 1993/8

N2 - We have previously reported focal abnormalities of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in a group of 33 patients with major depression. This report, on an extended sample of 40 patients who demonstrated identical regional deficits to those previously described, examines the relationships between depressive symptoms and patterns of rCBF. Patients' symptom ratings were subjected to factor analysis, producing a three-factor solution. The scores for these three factors, which corresponded to recognizable dimensions of depressive illness, were then correlated with rCBF. The first factor had high loadings for anxiety and correlated positively with rCBF in the posterior cingulate cortex and inferior parietal lobule bilaterally. The second factor had high loadings for psychomotor retardation and depressed mood and correlated negatively with rCBF in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left angular gyrus. The third factor had a high loading for cognitive performance and correlated positively with rCBF in the left medial prefrontal cortex. These data indicate that symptomatic specificity may be ascribed to regional functional deficits in major depressive illness.

AB - We have previously reported focal abnormalities of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in a group of 33 patients with major depression. This report, on an extended sample of 40 patients who demonstrated identical regional deficits to those previously described, examines the relationships between depressive symptoms and patterns of rCBF. Patients' symptom ratings were subjected to factor analysis, producing a three-factor solution. The scores for these three factors, which corresponded to recognizable dimensions of depressive illness, were then correlated with rCBF. The first factor had high loadings for anxiety and correlated positively with rCBF in the posterior cingulate cortex and inferior parietal lobule bilaterally. The second factor had high loadings for psychomotor retardation and depressed mood and correlated negatively with rCBF in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left angular gyrus. The third factor had a high loading for cognitive performance and correlated positively with rCBF in the left medial prefrontal cortex. These data indicate that symptomatic specificity may be ascribed to regional functional deficits in major depressive illness.

U2 - 10.1017/S0033291700025368

DO - 10.1017/S0033291700025368

M3 - Article

SN - 0033-2917

VL - 23

SP - 579

EP - 590

JO - Psychological Medicine

JF - Psychological Medicine

IS - 3

ER -