Selective neuron loss in the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus in patients suffering from major depression and bipolar disorder.

The structural basis for depressive disorders remains unknown. Studies using neuroimaging and postmortem brain tissue indicate that anatomic substrates may contribute to major depression disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). The present study used design-based stereology to assess neuron loss in 2 well-defined hypothalamic structures, the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON), in clinically well-studied cases with severe depression.