Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 May 30;7(1):2515.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-02828-4.

Sex differences in the clinical characteristics and brain gray matter volume alterations in unmedicated patients with major depressive disorder

Xiao Yang  1   2 , Zugui Peng  3 , Xiaojuan Ma  4 , Yajing Meng  1   2 , Mingli Li  1   2 , Jian Zhang  1   2 , Xiuliu Song  1   2 , Ye Liu  1   2 , Huanhuan Fan  1   2 , Liansheng Zhao  1   2 , Wei Deng  1   2 , Tao Li  1   2 , Xiaohong Ma  5   6
Affiliations

Sex differences in the clinical characteristics and brain gray matter volume alterations in unmedicated patients with major depressive disorder

Xiao Yang et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

This study was to explore the sex differences in clinical characteristics and brain gray matter volume (GMV) alterations in 29 male patients with major depressive disorder (MDDm), 53 female patients with MDD (MDDf), and in 29 male and 53 female matched healthy controls. Maps of GMV were constructed using magnetic resonance imaging data and compared between groups. We evaluated clinical symptoms using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and obtained a total score and five syndrome scores. A two-factor ANCOVA model was specified using SPM8, with sex and diagnosis as the between-subject factors. We found that: (1) significant GMV increase in the left cerebellum and GMV reduction in the bilateral middle temporal gyrus and left ventral medial prefrontal gyrus occurred selectively in male patients, while the GMV reduction in the left lingual gyrus and dorsal medial prefrontal gyrus occurred selectively in female patients; (2) MDDf may have experienced more severe sleep disturbance than MDDm; and (3) the severity of sleep symptom could be predicted by the sex specific brain structural alterations in depressions. These findings suggest that sex specific anatomical alterations existed in MDD, and these alterations were associated with the clinical symptoms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sex by diagnosis interaction in GMV maps. Significant sex by diagnosis interaction was found in A: right cerebellum, B: left cerebellum, C: left ventral medial prefrontal gyrus (rectal gyrus), D: lingual gyrus, E: right middle/superior temporal gyrus, F: left middle temporal gyrus, and G: left dorsal medial prefrontal gyrus. Simple effect analysis suggested that male patients with MDD showed selective GMV increase in the left cerebellum (a) and reduction in the right superior/middle temporal gyrus (b), left middle temporal gyrus (c) and left ventral medial prefrontal gyrus (d), while female MDD patients showed selective GMV reduction in the left lingual gyrus (e) and dorsal medial prefrontal gyrus (e). The bar chart indicates the average GMV of regions with alterations. *Represents a significant difference detected. L, left hemisphere; R, right left hemisphere.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Kessler RC, McGonagle KA, Swartz M, Blazer DG, Nelson CB. Sex and depression in the National Comorbidity Survey. I: Lifetime prevalence, chronicity and recurrence. Journal of affective disorders. 1993;29:85–96. doi: 10.1016/0165-0327(93)90026-G. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Seedat S, et al. Cross-national associations between gender and mental disorders in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys. Archives of general psychiatry. 2009;66:785–795. doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.36. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kendler KS, Thornton LM, Prescott CA. Gender differences in the rates of exposure to stressful life events and sensitivity to their depressogenic effects. The American journal of psychiatry. 2001;158:587–593. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.158.4.587. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Frodl T, et al. Hippocampal changes in patients with a first episode of major depression. The American journal of psychiatry. 2002;159:1112–1118. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.159.7.1112. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Oquendo MA, et al. Ethnic and sex differences in suicide rates relative to major depression in the United States. The American journal of psychiatry. 2001;158:1652–1658. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.158.10.1652. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources