Orbitofrontal cortex volumes in medication naïve children with major depressive disorder: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

Objectives: Adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) are reported to have reduced orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) volumes, which could be related to decreased neuronal density. We conducted a study on medication naïve children with MDD to determine whether abnormalities of OFC are present early in the illness course.

Methods: Twenty seven medication naïve pediatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4(th) edition (DSM-IV) MDD patients (mean age +/- SD = 14.

Striatal volume abnormalities in treatment-naïve patients diagnosed with pediatric major depressive disorder.

Objective: The striatum, including the putamen and caudate, plays an important role in executive and emotional processing and may be involved in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. Few studies have examined structural abnormalities of the striatum in pediatric major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. We report striatal volume abnormalities in medication-naïve pediatric MDD compared to healthy comparison subjects.