The project """"""""Age-related hippocampal atrophy in recurrent major depression"""""""" seeks to define the nature of changes in brain structures due to recurrent episodes of depression. It is hypothesized that recurrent depression may accelerate normal hippocampal aging, perhaps through neuronal glucocorticoid toxicity resulting from depression- induced hypercortisolemia. A cross-sectional study of 40medically healthy patients with recurrent early onset major depression and 40 case-matched normal controls will test for differences in regional brain structure volumes, cognitive function, HPA axis function, and clinical variables. In addition, recent studies have found bone density loss in depressed women relative to controls. It is unclear whether this was caused by differences in cortisol or in estrogen status. We will ezamine both cortisol and estrogen status as well as bone density in our sample.
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