Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Psychiatry. Apr 19, 2026; 16(4): 115192
Published online Apr 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i4.115192
Published online Apr 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i4.115192
Monitoring white matter volume alterations via cranial magnetic resonance imaging in major depressive disorder: Association with cognitive dysfunction
Liang Liu, Shuang Tang, Mei-Zhi Chen, Xiao Nie, Jing Li, Lan Yao, Bu-Gao Zeng, Jian-Bo Zhou, Fu-Qiang Zhou, Department of Radiology, Yiyang Central Hospital, Yiyang 413002, Hunan Province, China
Author contributions: Liu L and Zhou FQ designed the study and wrote the manuscript, and reviewed the research; Tang S, Chen MZ, Nie X and Li J designed the study and provided clinical data; Liu L, Yao L, Zeng BG and Zhou JB contributed to the data analysis; all authors approved this research.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Yiyang Central Hospital.
Informed consent statement: As the study used anonymous and pre-existing data, the requirement for the informed consent from patients was waived.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: The data used in this study can be obtained from the corresponding author upon request.
Corresponding author: Fu-Qiang Zhou, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Radiology, Yiyang Central Hospital, No. 118 Kangfu North Road, Yiyang 413002, Hunan Province, China. iyzfq1975@sina.com
Received: November 14, 2025
Revised: December 17, 2025
Accepted: January 22, 2026
Published online: April 19, 2026
Processing time: 135 Days and 20.4 Hours
Revised: December 17, 2025
Accepted: January 22, 2026
Published online: April 19, 2026
Processing time: 135 Days and 20.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Recent studies highlight notable neurobiological abnormalities in individuals with depression, with white matter lesions being relatively common. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a non-invasive imaging method, clearly demonstrates the extent and distribution of such lesions. However, the causal relationship between depression and white matter lesions remains unclear, partly due to the complex interactions between depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment. This study quantified white matter volume changes using MRI and examined their correlation with cognitive impairment severity in major depressive disorder.