Depression symptoms in Parkinson's disease correlate with amygdala subregions atrophy

Depression is the most frequent psychiatric disorder in Parkinson's disease (PD). Amygdala pathology has been suggested to contribute to some clinical features of PD, including deficits of olfaction and mood disorders. We aimed to more accurately measure alterations in the volume of each amygdala nucleus in Parkinson's disease with depression (DPD) patients. Then the volume of each specific amygdala nucleus would be associated with the severity of depressive symptoms. This study showed that DPD patients had multiple amygdala subregions atrophy. The bilateral lateral amygdala and left accessory basal nucleus were negatively correlated with the severity of depression in DPD patients.