A structural magnetic resonance imaging study of amygdala subfield volumes and shape changes in Cushing's disease
FENG Zhebin
ZHOU Tao
HE Kunyu
XU Junpeng
SHANG Guosong
WANG Peng
YU Xinguang
ZHANG Jianning
ZHANG Yanyang
Abstract：Objective To explore the volumetric and morphological alterations in amygdala subfields and the correlation between the subfield volume and hormone levels and neuropsychological scale scores in Cushing's disease(CD)patients.Methods Seventy-five CD patients and forty-nine healthy controls were included for a structural magnetic resonance imaging scan and detections of cortisol and adrenocorticotrophic hormone levels at various time points.A comprehensive neuropsychological assessment was conducted for all subjects.FreeSurfer,an image analysis software,was used to measure the volume and surface morphology of amygdala subfields.Mixed-design analysis of variance,one-way analysis of variance,and partial correlation analysis were used to evaluate the volumetric alterations in amygdala subfields in CD patients and their associations with other clinical indicators.Results The volumes of bilateral global amygdala,basal nucleus,accessory basal nucleus,anterior amygdaloid area,cortical nucleus,and cortico-amygdaloid transition area were significantly reduced in CD patients(P＜0.05).The surface of bilateral amygdala presented diffuse atrophy and depression,particularly in the dorsolateral and cephalic regions.Partial correlation analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between the volume of the right cortical nucleus and the cortisol concentration at 16∶00.Conclusion CD patients exhibit significant volumetric and morphological alterations in the bilateral amygdala and its subfields,with the volume of specific subfields being correlated with hormone levels.
Keywords：Cushing's diseaseamygdala subfieldsFreeSurferstructural magnetic resonance imagingshape analysis
Publication Date：2025-03-31
Online Publishing Date：2026-08-26(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 330-336 )