Imaging Technique Shows Brain Anatomy Change in Women with MS, Depression

A recent study conducted by a multicenter-research team led by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center used a new, automated imaging system to identify shrinkage of a mood-regulating brain structure in a large sample of women with multiple sclerosis (MS), who also have a certain type of depression. The research supports earlier studies suggesting that the hippocampus may contribute to the high frequency of depression seen in those who suffer from MS. The study showed that a computerized-imaging technique called automatic surface mesh modeling can readily detect thickness changes in sub-regions of the hippocampus. This previously required a labor-intensive manual analysis of MRI images. The study also found that women who have MS accompanied by certain symptoms of depression—such as fatigue and loss of interest —were found to have reduced size of the right hippocampus. Although, the left hippocampus remained unchanged in those women with other types of depression — such as vegetative depression — which can cause extreme fatigue. To read more about this study, click here.