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Dynamic study of the hippocampal volume by structural MRI in a rat model of depression

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Abstract

The reduction of hippocampal volume remains controversial in depression because of the variability among individuals in clinical studies. Here, a reliable experimental rat model of depression, established by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), was used. Thirty rats were randomly divided into two groups (CUMS group and control group). Hippocampal volume was dynamically measured every 2 weeks in a 56-day chronic stress procedure using structural magnetic resonance imaging, and the correlation between the hippocampal volume and the learning and memory changes was investigated. Our results demonstrated that CUMS rats showed significantly smaller volumes of the bilateral hippocampus compared to that of the controls, changing dramatically with the development of CUMS procedure. The left hippocampal volume was reduced earlier and more markedly than the right one from the 2nd week to the 8th week of the CUMS procedure (on the 8th week: left: approximately 15.3 %; right: approximately 8.4 % reduction). Additionally, the hippocampal volume of CUMS rats was significantly negatively correlated with the learning and memory changes. Of note, it showed that the more obviously the hippocampal volume reduced, the more severely the learning and memory damaged. In conclusion, the hippocampal volume decreased gradually and dynamically and was correlated with the impairment of the learning and memory in depression.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by projects of Jiangsu Province Health Department (No. H200951); projects of Wuxi Municipal Technology Bureau (No. CSEW1N1111); projects of Wuxi Health Bureau (No. ML201320). We would like to thank Prof. Wang Jichen at Nanjing Medical University and Ma Tieliang M.D at Yixing People hospital for their valuable help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Yixing Hospital of Jiangsu University, 75 Tongzhenguan Road, Wuxi, 214200, Jiangsu, China

    Yifeng Luo, Zhihong Cao & Liwei Wu

  2. Department of Medical Imaging, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

    Dongqing Wang, Yuefeng Li, Weibin Sun & Yan Zhu

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  1. Yifeng Luo
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  2. Zhihong Cao
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  3. Dongqing Wang
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  4. Liwei Wu
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  5. Yuefeng Li
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  6. Weibin Sun
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  7. Yan Zhu
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Correspondence to Zhihong Cao.

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Luo, Y., Cao, Z., Wang, D. et al. Dynamic study of the hippocampal volume by structural MRI in a rat model of depression. Neurol Sci 35, 1777–1783 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-014-1837-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-014-1837-y

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