Advanced MRI in Major Depression

Advanced MRI at 3T for the Evaluation of Ambulant Patients With Major Depression

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder.

• 3-5% of a given population has major depression.
• Less than 50% of the depressed in Denmark are diagnosed with major depression.
• 25-50% of the depressed have a relative with major depression-underlying brain pathology?

The purpose of this study is to use MRI to evaluate cerebral morphology and function in ambulant patients with major depression

Previous studies within major depression, have often included hospitalized patients with severe symptoms and imaging have been performed with PET and SPECT, which uses ionizing radiation. This study focus on ambulant patients(with or without medication/ECT treatment), to find patients in an earlier stage. Cerebral perfusion with the MR sequence Arterial Spin Labelling, concentrations of different metabolites with MR spectroscopy and brain volumetry with BRAVO 3D T1 ax will be performed.

MR protocol: T2 sag, T2 FLAIR ax, ASL ax, MRS and 3D T1 ax. Scan time 45 min.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients who fulfil ICD-10´s criteria for major depression, found within the ambulant psychiatric sector and who has a HAM-D ≥ 18

Exclusion Criteria:

• If the patient has pacemaker or other magnetic devices
• Pregnancy
• Has had an operation in the brain
• bipolar disorder