Volumetric abnormalities in thalamic subnuclei in drug-naive patients with major depressive disorder

Motivation: To investigate the specific changes of volumetric differences in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and healthy controls (HC) including their relationships with clinically related behavioral phenomena. Goal(s): To investigate volumetric differences in the thalamic subnuclei of untreated MDD patients and HC groups. Approach: We collected high-resolution 3D T1-weighted images from untreated MDD patients and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Results: No significant volume differences of the bilateral thalamus as a subnuclei between MDD patients and healthy controls. Found age-by-diagnosis interactions for specific thalamic subnuclei. Partial correlation analyses show several left thalamic subnuclei showed positive correlations with HAMD-17 scores and cognitive disturbance scores. Impact: The study offers valuable insights into thalamic subnuclei changes and their impact on MDD. These findings underscore the significance of examining specific thalamic subnuclei and their potential impact on MDD's development.