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Lateralized damage to the structures involved in reward processing in late life depression □

Sampada Sinha1*, Shailendra M. Tripathi1, Priti Singh1, Sarvada C. Tiwari1 and Rajendra D. Badgaiyan2
  • 1 King George's Medical University, Department of Geriatric Mental Health, India
  • 2 Boonshoft School of Medicine, Psychiatry, United States

Background: Major depression is a common psychiatric disorder in the elderly. Late-life depression (LLD) adversely affects the reward system. Reward and reward associated motivated behavior is therefore a key concept in assessing anhedonia. Study of structural changes in reward-related structures could provide useful information to understand and treat anhedonia in late-life depression. Methods: 21 clinically diagnosed right-handed LLD patients (mean age 65.66±4.46) and 18 right-handed healthy control (HC) volunteers (75.66±3.93) T1 images were analyzed using freesurfer software. Mean±SD of mini mental status examination (MMSE) scores in LLD patients was 25.23±4.58 and in HC 22.09±4.02. Mean±SD of geriatric depression scale (GDS) scores in LLD patients was 29.61±0.60 and in HC 1.05±1.25. Results: Volume of Nucleus accumbens (NAc) was significantly smaller in LLD volunteers. LLD volunteers also had smaller amygdala. Left NAc and left amygdala volumes were significantly smaller than the right in both study groups. The difference however was statistically significant only in HC. GDS scores of HC group were negatively correlated with the volumes of both NAc and right amygdala. In LLD patients GDS score had a weak positive correlation with NAc volumes bilaterally and also with the left amygdala volume. Conclusions: Late life depression adversely affects the reward system. Lateralized damage of dopaminergic reward system involving left NAc and left amygdala forms the basis of symptoms of anhedonia in geriatric depression. Normally, low GDS score is correlated with higher NAc and amygdala volume. Correlation of structural changes in reward system with GDS score in LLD is not a reliable tool. Development of better cognitive tool for assessment of structural changes in reward system can be useful to predict the severity of depression in LLD patients. Better understanding of the brain reward circuitry will help us develop novel therapeutic strategies for treatment of geriatric depression.

References

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anxiety disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 1994;151(2):205–209
2. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed., text revision.
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3. http://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/)

Keywords: late-life depression, Anhedonia, reward system, Elderly, lateralization

Conference: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience 2018, Orlando, Florida, United States, 24 May - 26 May, 2018.

Presentation Type: Poster

Topic: Clinical Applications in health, disease, and injury to the nervous system

Citation: Sinha S, Tripathi SM, Singh P, Tiwari SC and Badgaiyan RD (2018). Lateralized damage to the structures involved in reward processing in late life depression □. Front. Neurol. Conference Abstract: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience 2018. doi: 10.3389/conf.fneur.2018.60.00042

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Received: 19 Dec 2017; Published Online: 14 Dec 2018.

* Correspondence: Dr. Sampada Sinha, King George's Medical University, Department of Geriatric Mental Health, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, drsampadasinha@gmail.com