Structural neuroimaging of geriatric depression

Abstract

There is a large literature on the neuroanatomy of late-life depression that continues to grow with the discovery of novel structural imaging techniques along with innovative methods to analyze the images. Such advances have helped identify specific areas, characteristic lesions, and changes in the chemical composition in these regions that might be important in the pathophysiology of this complex disease. This article reviews relevant findings by each structural neuroimaging technique. When validated across many studies, such findings can serve as neuroanatomic markers that can help generate rational hypotheses for future studies to further understanding of geriatric depression.