Hippocampal atrophy in first episode… | 2011

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76/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 76 out of 100. Hippocampus size on brain scans

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Plain-language summary

Background Reduced hippocampal volume has been consistently observed in major depressive disorder. Hippocampal volume loss is particularly evident in patients with recurrent and chronic depression. However, the reports in first episode depression have been mixed. Methods We performed a random effects meta-analysis to establish whether hippocampal atrophy exists from disease onset. We included magnetic resonance imaging studies of hippocampal volume in patients with first episode major depressive disorder and matched healthy controls. Results A total of 7 studies met our inclusion and exclusion criteria, representing independent observations in a total sample of 191 patients and 282 healthy controls. The cumulative analysis revealed hippocampal volume loss in patients with first episode depression relative to controls in both the left (standardised mean difference, SMD = -0.41, 95% Confidence Interval: [-0.78;-0.03], z = -2.14, p = 0.0321) and right (SMD = -0.53[-0.98;-0.09], z = -2.38, p = 0.0173) hippocampi. The average volume reduction was -4.0% in the left and -4.5% in the right hippocampus. Conclusions Hippocampal volume loss in first episode depression is consistent with a neurodevelopmental model of depression, advocating hippocampal structure as a potential diagnostic neurobiomarker for depression.

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APA 7th

Cole, J., Costafreda, S. G., McGuffin, P., & Fu, C. H. (2011). Hippocampal atrophy in first episode depression: a meta-analysis of magnetic resonance imaging studies. Journal of affective disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2011.05.057

Vancouver

Cole J, Costafreda SG, McGuffin P, Fu CH. Hippocampal atrophy in first episode depression: a meta-analysis of magnetic resonance imaging studies. Journal of affective disorders. 2011. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2011.05.057. PMID: 21745692.

BibTeX

@article{cole2011-21745692,
  author  = {Cole, J. and Costafreda, S. G. and McGuffin, P. and Fu, C. H.},
  title   = {{Hippocampal atrophy in first episode depression: a meta-analysis of magnetic resonance imaging studies}},
  journal = {Journal of affective disorders},
  year    = {2011},
  doi     = {10.1016/j.jad.2011.05.057},
  pmid    = {21745692},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2011.05.057}
}

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How to read this study

Design: this is a pooled review. It combines earlier studies, so it is only as good as the studies it pools. Check how many were included, whether they were similar enough to combine, and whether the authors report inconsistency between them.
Size: the record lists 191 participants. Ask whether that is enough for the question, and who they were.
Effect: the record reports “4.0%; 4.5%”. A statistically significant result can still be small in daily life.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded high. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. High means the abstract mentions a randomized design, a meta-analysis or a systematic review. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

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Key findings

Results A total of 7 studies met our inclusion and exclusion criteria, representing independent observations in a total sample of 191 patients and 282 healthy controls.
The cumulative analysis revealed hippocampal volume loss in patients with first episode depression relative to controls in both the left (standardised mean difference, SMD = -0.41, 95% Confidence Interval: [-0.78;-0.03], z = -2.14, p = 0.0321) and right (SMD = -0.53[-0.98;-0.09], z = -2.38, p = 0.0173) hippocampi.

Study details

Study designmeta-analysis
Participants191
Effect size4.0%; 4.5%
Evidence strengthHigh

How this study scored 76/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a meta-analysis pooling many studies. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multicenter collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 44 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 76 out of 100.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of affective disorders)
Journal's citation record	— / 4	No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score
Study design	12 / 12	A meta-analysis pooling many studies
Strength of evidence	5 / 5	Rated “high” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	1 / 5	2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	191 participants
Effect reported	2 / 3	Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	A review of other studies — randomization is not credited here
Times cited	— / 7	No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score
Citations per year	— / 5	No citation count or no year — left out of this score
Impact for its field and year	— / 6	No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score
Cited by studies here	— / 6	Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score
Still being cited	— / 4	No yearly citation counts — left out of this score
Senior author's track record	— / 4	Senior author's record not available — left out of this score
Institution's track record	— / 3	No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score
Multicenter collaboration	— / 3	Institutions not listed — left out of this score
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21745692)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Points	44 / 58	Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 44 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 76 out of 100.
Total	76 / 100	—

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