Hippocampal volume and parahippocampal cingulum alterations are associated with avoidant attachment in patients with depression

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jadr.2022.100435
• Publication Date: 2022-11-15T02:03:40Z
• Authors: Tobias Bracht; Niklaus Denier; Meret Wallimann; Sebastian Walther; Nicolas Mertse; Sigrid Breit; Andrea Federspiel; Roland Wiest; Leila Soravia
• Keywords: Cingulum (brain); Depression

Insecure attachment style (anxious and avoidant) predisposes to the development of depression has been linked hippocampal alterations in healthy individuals. However, it is unclear if there are hippocampus parahippocampal cingulum (PHC) patients with depression. Forty-eight major depressive disorder 18 controls underwent MP2RAGE diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Attachment characteristics were assessed revised adult scale. Patients classified into subgroups low (anxious: n = 27; avoidant: 21) high 20; 28) characteristics. Bilateral PHC reconstructed using manual tractography. Hippocampal volumes, mean fractional anisotropy diffusivity (MD) bilateral compared between controls. had higher scores anxious avoidant attachment, which associated severity. avoidance decreases volumes comparison avoidance. Furthermore, increased MD Assessment may be influenced by cognitive biases due symptoms High volume reductions impaired PHC-microstructure.