Effect of hippocampal and amygdala volumes on clinical outcomes in major depression: a 3-year prospective magnetic resonance imaging study.

Objective: According to the stress-toxicity hypothesis of depression, hippocampal volumes may diminish as the disease progresses. We sought to examine the changes in hippocampal and amygdala volumes at baseline and at 3 years after an acute depressive episode, and the impact of reduced hippocampal volumes on the outcome.

Methods: In a prospective, longitudinal study, we examined the hippocampus and amygdala of 30 inpatients with major depression from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and 30 healthy participants from the community (control group) using high-resolution magnetic resonance images at baseline and after 3 years.