A volumetric study of hippocampus and amygdala in depressed patients with subjective memory problems

MRI was used to measure amygdalar and hippocampal volumes in 14 nondemented depressed patients who persistently complained of memory difficulties and in 14 central subjects. Mild neuropsychological impairment had been detected in 5 patients before the study but had later improved. The volume of the left amygdala was smaller in depressed subjects, and there was a trend for smaller left hippocampus in the 5 patients who had exhibited mild cognitive impairment. The authors conclude that subjective memory complaints in depressed patients do not translate into a clinical picture of dementia, but that abnormalities in the amygdala and hippocampus may be relevant in explaining affective and cognitive symptoms.