MR study of perfusion and cortical thickness in major depression with first and recurrent episodes

Our aim in this study is to determine whether there is any difference between cerebral perfusion and cortical thickness between first attack and recurrent in major depression patients and to determine changes in cerebral parenchyma due to changes in blood flow by perfusion weighted MR imaging. Our study was conducted prospectively between 01.03.2017 - 03.03.2018 in Abant Izzet Baysal University Psychiatry USA. Forty patients (21 first episodes and 19 recurrent episodes) diagnosed with depression according to DSM 5 by the American Psychiatric Association and 16 healty control groups were evaluated for cerebral blood flow and cortex thickness with Perfusion MRI. There was no significant change in right / left parahippocampal, prefrontal, insular cortex cerebral blood flow (CBF) levels in patients with first episode and recurrent attack (p> 0.05). CBF values in the right and left cingulum were significantly lower in recurrent attacks (p <0.05). The cortex thickness was significantly decreased in recurrent attacks compared to the first attack and control group (p <0.05). There was no difference between the right and left lobes at all of the three groups (p> 0.05). As a result, there was a decrease in CBF and cortical thickness in recurrent depression episodes. Key words: Perfusion, magnetic resonance imaging, cortical thickness