Association Between Taurine Level in the Hippocampus and Major Depressive Disorder in Young Women: A Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study at 7T

Abstract

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure. Generally, women are twice as likely as men to have depression. Taurine, a type of amino acid, plays critical roles in neuronal generation, differentiation, arborization, and formation of synaptic connections. Importantly, it enhances proliferation and synaptogenesis in the hippocampus. When injected into animals, taurine has an antidepressant effect. However, there is no in vivo evidence to show an association between taurine concentration in the human brain and the development of MDD.

Methods: Forty-one unmedicated young women with MDD (ages 18-29) and 43 healthy control participants matched for gender and age were recruited in South Korea. Taurine concentration was measured in the hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex, and occipital cortex of the MDD and healthy control groups using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 7T. Analysis of covariance was used to examine differences in taurine concentration, adjusting for age as a covariate.

Results: Taurine concentration in the hippocampus was lower (F_1,75 = 5.729, p = .019, Δη² = 0.073) for the MDD group (mean [SEM] = 0.91 [0.06] mM) than for the healthy control group (1.13 [0.06] mM). There was no significant difference in taurine concentration in the anterior cingulate cortex or occipital cortex between the two groups.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a lower level of taurine concentration in the hippocampus may be a novel characteristic of MDD.

Keywords: 7T MRI; Hippocampus; Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS); Major depressive disorder (MDD); Taurine.