Reduced fractional anisotropy in patients with major depressive disorder and associations with vascular stiffness

In conclusion, major depressive disorder is associated with detrimental effects on cerebral white matter microstructure properties which are independent of vascular changes, as measured by pulse wave velocity. However, a portion of age-related detrimental effects on white matter is explained by vascular changes. Longitudinal studies are required for investigating changes in white matter and vascular parameters over time and their association with incident depression.