Illness Severity and Longitudinal Gray Matter Volumes Among People With Major Depressive Disorder - Scorecard - MDSpire
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Association of Disease Severity with Longitudinal Changes in Gray Matter Volume in Individuals Diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder

  • By

  • Anna Kraus

  • Janik Goltermann

  • Tiana Borgers

  • Katharina Dohm

  • Dominik Grotegerd

  • Elisabeth Schrammen

  • Kira Flinkenflügel

  • Verena Enneking

  • Elisabeth J. Leehr

  • Joscha Böhnlein

  • Nils Winter

  • Alea Bexten

  • Tim Hahn

  • Jochen Bauer

  • Marius Gruber

  • Jonathan Repple

  • Katharina Förster

  • Eva Mennigen

  • Nils Opel

  • Tilo Kircher

  • Susanne Meinert

  • Udo Dannlowski

  • September 14, 2026

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Clinical Scorecard: Association of Disease Severity with Longitudinal Changes in Gray Matter Volume in Individuals Diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder

At a Glance

CategoryDetail
ConditionMajor Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Key MechanismsLongitudinal changes in gray matter volume (GMV) associated with disease severity and depressive episodes.
Target PopulationIndividuals diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, particularly those undergoing inpatient treatment.
Care SettingNeuroimaging and clinical assessments in a research cohort.

Key Highlights

  • Longitudinal studies indicate GMV alterations in MDD vary over time.
  • Greater cumulative illness severity (CIS) is linked to steeper GMV decline.
  • Dynamic changes in GMV may occur during acute depressive states.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

  • Diagnosis of MDD according to DSM-IV criteria.

Management

  • Inpatient treatment for acute depressive episodes.

Monitoring & Follow-up

  • Repeat neuroimaging and clinical assessments at intervals of approximately 2 years.

Risks

  • Relapse and rehospitalization linked to GMV changes.

Patient & Prescribing Data

Individuals of Western European ancestry diagnosed with MDD.

Cumulative illness severity assessed through clinical-course variables.

Clinical Best Practices

  • Utilize longitudinal neuroimaging to assess GMV changes in MDD.
  • Account for individual trajectories in clinical assessments.

Related Resources & Content

Original Source(s)

Illness Severity and Longitudinal Gray Matter Volumes Among People With Major Depressive Disorder

  • by Anna Kraus, Janik Goltermann, Tiana Borgers, Katharina Dohm, Dominik Grotegerd, Elisabeth Schrammen, Kira Flinkenflügel, Verena Enneking, Elisabeth J. Leehr, Joscha Böhnlein, Nils Winter, Alea Bexten, Tim Hahn, Jochen Bauer, Marius Gruber, Jonathan Repple, Katharina Förster, Eva Mennigen, Nils Opel, Tilo Kircher, Susanne Meinert, Udo Dannlowski

  • September 14, 2026

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