Altered Structural Connectivity Of Thalamocortical Connections in Major Depressive Disorder: A 7T Study

This study investigated the structural integrity of thalamic nuclei and their white matter connections in the brains of patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) to help elucidate MDD etiology using diffusion tractography and structural MRI at 7T. Group differences were found with decreased FA and increased MD, RD, and AD in the tracts of multiple nuclei in the MDD cohort compared to controls. There were no significant differences in the average volumes of the nuclei between groups. These results suggest aberrant axonal integrity in multiple pathways responsible for visual & auditory processing, motor function, and emotional response networks.