TY - JOUR
T1 - Hippocampal volume, spectroscopy, cognition, and mood in patients receiving corticosteroid therapy
AU - Brown, E. Sherwood
AU - Woolston, Dixie J.
AU - Frol, Alan
AU - Bobadilla, Leonardo
AU - Khan, David A.
AU - Hanczyc, Margaret
AU - Rush, A. John
AU - Fleckenstein, James
AU - Babcock, Evelyn
AU - Cullum, C. Munro
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant No. MHO1725 (ESB) and the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (ESB).
PY - 2004/3/1
Y1 - 2004/3/1
N2 - Background Hippocampal volume reduction, declarative memory deficits, and cortisol elevations are reported in persons with major depressive disorder; however, data linking cortisol elevations with hippocampal atrophy are lacking. Prescription corticosteroid-treated patients offer an opportunity to examine corticosteroid effects on hippocampal volume and biochemistry and memory in humans. Methods Seventeen patients on long-term prescription corticosteroid therapy and 15 controls of similar age, gender, ethnicity, education, height, and medical history were assessed with magnetic resonance imaging and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Stroop Color Word Test and other neurocognitive measures, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Young Mania Rating Scale, and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Results Compared with controls, corticosteroid-treated patients had smaller hippocampal volumes and lower N-acetyl aspartate ratios, lower scores on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and Stroop Color Word Test, and higher Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores. Conclusions Patients receiving chronic corticosteroid therapy have smaller hippocampal volumes, lower N-acetyl aspartate ratios, and declarative memory deficits compared with controls. These findings support the idea that corticosteroid exposure appears to be associated with changes in hippocampal volume and functioning in humans.
AB - Background Hippocampal volume reduction, declarative memory deficits, and cortisol elevations are reported in persons with major depressive disorder; however, data linking cortisol elevations with hippocampal atrophy are lacking. Prescription corticosteroid-treated patients offer an opportunity to examine corticosteroid effects on hippocampal volume and biochemistry and memory in humans. Methods Seventeen patients on long-term prescription corticosteroid therapy and 15 controls of similar age, gender, ethnicity, education, height, and medical history were assessed with magnetic resonance imaging and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Stroop Color Word Test and other neurocognitive measures, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Young Mania Rating Scale, and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Results Compared with controls, corticosteroid-treated patients had smaller hippocampal volumes and lower N-acetyl aspartate ratios, lower scores on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and Stroop Color Word Test, and higher Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores. Conclusions Patients receiving chronic corticosteroid therapy have smaller hippocampal volumes, lower N-acetyl aspartate ratios, and declarative memory deficits compared with controls. These findings support the idea that corticosteroid exposure appears to be associated with changes in hippocampal volume and functioning in humans.
KW - Corticosteroid
KW - Depression
KW - Hippocampus
KW - Magnetic resonance imaging
KW - Magnetic resonance spectroscopy
KW - Memory
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U2 - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2003.09.010
DO - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2003.09.010
M3 - Article
C2 - 15023583
AN - SCOPUS:12144289251
SN - 0006-3223
VL - 55
SP - 538
EP - 545
JO - Biological Psychiatry
JF - Biological Psychiatry
IS - 5
ER -