Anterior cingulate volume predicts response to cognitive behavioral therapy in major depressive disorder

Abstract

Background: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is widely used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD). Although improved response prediction could facilitate the development of individualized treatment plans, few studies have investigated whether underlying brain structure is related to CBT response in MDD.

Methods: Ten MDD patients who received individual CBT were studied in this study. We investigated the relationship between the regional gray matter (GM) volume and subsequent responses to CBT using voxel-based morphometry.

Results: The degree of improvement in depressive symptoms was positively correlated with GM volume in the caudal portion of the anterior cingulate cortex.

Limitations: The sample size was small, and the effects of medication on the results could not be excluded.

Conclusions: Our results, although preliminary, suggest that the anterior cingulate cortex is a key structure whose volume can be used to predict responses to CBT and is thus a potential prognostic marker in MDD.

Keywords: Anterior cingulate cortex; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Depression; Magnetic resonance imaging; Voxel-based morphometry.