A magnetic resonance imaging study of hippocampal, amygdala and subgenual prefrontal cortex volumes in major depression subtypes: melancholic versus psychotic depression.

Background: Volumetric studies examining brain structure in depression subtypes are limited and inconclusive. The aim of the current study was to compare the volumes of brain regions previously implicated in depression among patients with melancholic major depressive disorder (MDD), patients with psychotic MDD and normal controls.

Methods: Twenty two patients with melancholic MDD, 17 with psychotic MDD and 18 normal controls were included in the study.

Pituitary volume in psychosis.

Background: Patients with psychosis have activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis during the acute phase of the psychosis. Whether this has any morphological consequences for the pituitary gland is currently unknown.

Aims: To examine pituitary volume variation in people at different stages of psychotic disorder.