ABSTRACT
Objective To research the changes of regional gray matter volumes in first-episode, medication naive females with major depressive disorder. Methods Magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based mor-phometry were used to compare regional gray matter volumes between 14 medication-naive female participants with a first episode of major depressive disorder ( MDD) ( age( 29. 5 ±6.8) years, number of education years(11.4 ± 2. 7) years, duration of iIIness(5.4 ±5. 2 ) months, H AMD score(27.6 ±5.5)) and 14 female healthy comparison participants (HC) (age(29.5 ±6.9)years,number of education years( 12. 2 ±3. 3)years,HAMD score(2. 1 ± 1.9)). Results Volumes of bilateral anterior cingulate cortex ( ACC) and right amygdala were significantly smaller in the MDD group than those in the HC group. Conclusion These results suggest that volume reductions in ACC and amygdala in females with MDD are present at illness onset.