Structural changes of cingulate cortex in post stroke depression

Disruption of neural connections among regions regulating mood and cognition rather than cerebrovascular lesions may contribute to post-stroke depression (PSD). In this paper, we hypothesized that structural abnormalities in white matter structure like cingulate cortex induced by focal infarcts would play a role in mood regulation or depression after stroke onset. Various DTI coefficients including FA, RD and ADC with multiple signal distribution measurements were collected and statistically analyzed. The results identify significant differences in volume and multiple diffusion indices of DTI intensity distribution in cingulate cortex between PSD patients and the normal control. It indicates the neuronal loss secondary to demyelination in cingulate cortex due to stroke. Additionally, the volume loss of cingulate cortex in PSD patients observed in the results may further demonstrate the reduction of glial cells in cingulate cortex, as the axonal number/size changed little.