Prospective Associations Between Structural Brain Development and Onset of Depressive Disorder During Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Brain structural alterations are consistently reported in depressive disorders, yet it remains unclear whether these alterations exist prior to disorder onset and thus may reflect a preexisting vulnerability. The authors investigated prospective adolescent neurodevelopmental risk markers for depressive disorder onset, using data from a 15-year longitudinal study. METHODS: A community sample of 161 adolescents participated in neuroimaging assessments conducted during early (age 12), mid (age 16), and late (age 19) adolescence. Onsets of depressive disorders were assessed for the period spanning early adolescence through emerging adulthood (ages 12-27). Forty-six participants (28 fe..