OBJECTIVES: Few studies have examined pituitary gland size in mood disorders, particularly in adolescents. We hypothesized increase in the pituitary gland size in early-onset mood disorders. METHODS: Thirty subjects between the ages of 13 and 20 years participated in the study. Three groups (control, bipolar I depression and unipolar depression) of 10 subjects each (4 male, 6 female) underwent volumetric magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 T. RESULTS: Analysis of covariance (covarying for age, sex and intracranial volume) revealed a significant difference in pituitary gland volume amongst the groups [F(2,24) = 7.092, p = 0.014]. Post hoc analysis revealed that controls had a significantly smaller pituitary gland volume than both bipolar patients (p = 0.019) and depressed patients (p = 0.049). Bipolar and depressed subjects did not differ significantly from each other with regard to pituitary gland volume (p = 0.653). Control females had larger pituitary glands than control males [F(1,8) = 10.523, p = 0.012], but no sex differences were noted in the mood disorder groups. CONCLUSIONS: Pituitary glands are enlarged in adolescents with mood disorders compared to controls. Healthy young females have larger pituitary glands than males, but such a difference is not evident in individuals with unipolar depression or bipolar disorder. These findings provide new evidence of abnormalities of the pituitary in early onset mood disorders, and are consistent with neuroendocrine dysfunction in early stages of such illnesses.
OBJECTIVES: Few studies have examined pituitary gland size in mood disorders, particularly in adolescents. We hypothesized increase in the pituitary gland size in early-onset mood disorders. METHODS: Thirty subjects between the ages of 13 and 20 years participated in the study. Three groups (control, bipolar I depression and unipolar depression) of 10 subjects each (4 male, 6 female) underwent volumetric magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 T. RESULTS: Analysis of covariance (covarying for age, sex and intracranial volume) revealed a significant difference in pituitary gland volume amongst the groups [F(2,24) = 7.092, p = 0.014]. Post hoc analysis revealed that controls had a significantly smaller pituitary gland volume than both bipolarpatients (p = 0.019) and depressedpatients (p = 0.049). Bipolar and depressed subjects did not differ significantly from each other with regard to pituitary gland volume (p = 0.653). Control females had larger pituitary glands than control males [F(1,8) = 10.523, p = 0.012], but no sex differences were noted in the mood disorder groups. CONCLUSIONS: Pituitary glands are enlarged in adolescents with mood disorders compared to controls. Healthy young females have larger pituitary glands than males, but such a difference is not evident in individuals with unipolar depression or bipolar disorder. These findings provide new evidence of abnormalities of the pituitary in early onset mood disorders, and are consistent with neuroendocrine dysfunction in early stages of such illnesses.
Authors: Ronny Redlich; Jorge J R Almeida; Dominik Grotegerd; Nils Opel; Harald Kugel; Walter Heindel; Volker Arolt; Mary L Phillips; Udo Dannlowski Journal: JAMA Psychiatry Date: 2014-11 Impact factor: 21.596
Authors: Erin Fallucca; Frank P MacMaster; Joseph Haddad; Phillip Easter; Rachel Dick; Geoffrey May; Jeffrey A Stanley; Carrie Rix; David R Rosenberg Journal: Arch Gen Psychiatry Date: 2011-05
Authors: Nan-Feng Jie; Mao-Hu Zhu; Xiao-Ying Ma; Elizabeth A Osuch; Michael Wammes; Jean Théberge; Huan-Dong Li; Yu Zhang; Tian-Zi Jiang; Jing Sui; Vince D Calhoun Journal: IEEE Trans Auton Ment Dev Date: 2015-10-26