First episode drug-naïve major depressive disorder with panic disorder: Gray matter deficits in limbic and default network structures

This study was designed to investigate the structural differences in the brains of first episode, drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder and panic disorder versus healthy control subjects. High-resolution brain magnetic resonance images were performed on patients and health control subjects (age, sex and handedness matched). Structural magnetic resonance images of brain were estimated by optimized voxel-based morphometry of FSL (FMRIB Software Library). Patients had deficits of gray matter volumes over right anterior cingulate cortex, right medial frontal gyrus, left posterior cingulate cortex, right parahippocampal gyrus, limbic areas, occipital lingual gyrus and bilateral cerebellums when compared to controls. These results suggested that this group of patients has possible deficits of gray matter volumes over the default-mode network, fronto-cingulate and limbic structures. The decline of gray matter volumes might have started since the first episode.