Lower Locus Coeruleus MRI intensity in patients with late-life major depression
Andrés Guinea-Izquierdo, Mònica Giménez, Ignacio Martínez‐Zalacaín, Inés del Cerro, Pol Canal-Noguer, Gerard Blasco, Jordi Gascón, Ramón Reñé, Inmaculada Rico, Àngels Camins, Carlos Aguilera, Mikel Urretavizcaya, Isidró Ferrer, José M. Menchón, Virginia Soria, Carles Soriano‐Mas
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The locus coeruleus (LC) is the major noradrenergic source in the central nervous system. Structural alterations in the LC contribute to the pathophysiology of different neuropsychiatric disorders, which may increase to a variable extent the likelihood of developing neurodegenerative conditions. The characterization of such alterations may therefore help to predict progression to neurodegenerative disorders. Despite the LC cannot be visualized with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), specific MRI sequences have been developed to infer its structural integrity. METHODS: = 31), and also assessed the putative modulatory effects of comorbidities and other clinical variables. RESULTS: LCCRs were lower in MDD compared to aMCI and HCs. While no effects of aMCI comorbidity were observed, lower LCCRs were specifically observed in patients taking serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). CONCLUSION: Our results do not support the hypothesis that lower LCCRs characterize the different clinical groups that may eventually develop a neurodegenerative disorder. Conversely, our results were specifically observed in patients with late-life MDD taking SNRIs. Further research with larger samples is warranted to ascertain whether medication or particular clinical features of patients taking SNRIs are associated with changes in LC neurons.