A diffusion tensor imaging study using a voxel-based analysis, region-of-interest method to analyze white matter abnormalities in first-episode, treatment-naïve major depressive disorder

Abstract

This study used fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure of diffusion tensor imaging, to analyze white matter abnormalities in 15 first-episode treatment-naïve patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 15 controls matched for age. An automated voxel-based analysis and a region-of-interest (ROI) method with 3T magnetic resonance imaging were used. Compared with controls, FA values were lower in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus, the left prefrontal cortex, and the left parietal region in patients with MDD. In addition, the ROI method revealed significantly lower FA values in the right hippocampus. Voxelbased analysis, a faster technique, complements the ROI method, which highlights FA values as potential biomarkers in early MDD.