A neuroimaging study to characterise adolescent major depressive disorder, the effects of cognitive behavioural therapy, and potential subtypes based on familial loading
type: CreativeWork
description: Adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD) can have devastating consequences that remain into adulthood. Although the severe effects on those that suffer from MDD are well understood, the neural mechanisms underpinning the illness are still unclear, as the past literature exploring adolescent MDD has suffered greatly from a lack of consistency. In particular, it is still unclear as to what deviations of brain structure and function actually occur in adolescent MDD. Furthermore, though much of the past literature has claimed that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has a normalising effect on disrupted brain function in adolescent MDD, this has not been directly tested. Additionally, past literature has found that adult MDD patients with a high familial loading for MDD, defined as having at least one first degree relative with MDD, show different symptom profiles to MDD patients with a low familial loading for the illness. However, it is not yet clear whether these symptom differences also occur in adolescent MDD patients with differing familial loadings, nor is it clear whether these two patient groups also differ with respect to brain structure and function. If so, familial loading for MDD could potentially be used to subtype adolescent MDD patients. This thesis aimed to further elucidate the neural processes that may be unfolding within the depressed adolescent brain by investigating pre-treatment differences in cortical thickness, white matter volume, and resting-state functional connectivity, using the largest studied sample of adolescent MDD patients under the age of 18 years. This thesis further aimed to investigate CBT’s effects on brain function, and whether adolescent MDD patients could be subtyped based on familial loading for MDD. Before receiving treatment, adolescent MDD patients showed structural deviations in the form of greater cortical thickness and white matter volume within frontal and limbic regions of the brain. Furthermore, adolescent MDD patie…
abstract: Adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD) can have devastating consequences that remain into adulthood. Although the severe effects on those that suffer from MDD are well understood, the neural mechanisms underpinning the illness are still unclear, as the past literature exploring adolescent MDD has suffered greatly from a lack of consistency. In particular, it is still unclear as to what deviations of brain structure and function actually occur in adolescent MDD. Furthermore, though much of the past literature has claimed that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has a normalising effect on disrupted brain function in adolescent MDD, this has not been directly tested. Additionally, past literature has found that adult MDD patients with a high familial loading for MDD, defined as having at least one first degree relative with MDD, show different symptom profiles to MDD patients with a low familial loading for the illness. However, it is not yet clear whether these symptom differences also occur in adolescent MDD patients with differing familial loadings, nor is it clear whether these two patient groups also differ with respect to brain structure and function. If so, familial loading for MDD could potentially be used to subtype adolescent MDD patients. This thesis aimed to further elucidate the neural processes that may be unfolding within the depressed adolescent brain by investigating pre-treatment differences in cortical thickness, white matter volume, and resting-state functional connectivity, using the largest studied sample of adolescent MDD patients under the age of 18 years. This thesis further aimed to investigate CBT’s effects on brain function, and whether adolescent MDD patients could be subtyped based on familial loading for MDD. Before receiving treatment, adolescent MDD patients showed structural deviations in the form of greater cortical thickness and white matter volume within frontal and limbic regions of the brain. Furthermore, adolescent MDD patie…
author: Villa, Luca
language: eng
keywords: Major Depressive Disorder, MRI, Cortical Thickness, Resting state functional connectivity, Neuroimaging, Grey Matter Volume, Adolescent Depression
license: https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/
date published: 2020-06-01
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:07Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.78868