Altered structural covariance network of nucleus accumbens is modulated by illness duration and severity of symptom in depression.

The differential structural covariance of nucleus accumbens (NAcc), playing a vital role in etiology and treatment, remains unclear in depression. We aimed to investigate whether structural covariance of NAcc was altered and how it was modulated by illness duration and severity of symptom measured with Hamilton Depression scale (HAMD). T1-weighted anatomical images of never-treated first-episode patients with depression (n = 195) and matched healthy controls (HCs, n = 78) were acquired. Gray matter volumes were calculated using voxel-based morphometry analysis for each subject. Then, we explored abnormal structural covariance of NAcc and how the abnormality was modulated by illness duration and severity of symptom. Patients with depression exhibited altered structural covariance of NAcc connected to key brain regions in reward system including the medial orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, insula, parahippocampa gyrus, precuneus, thalamus, hippocampus and cerebellum. In addition, the structural covariance of the NAcc was distinctly modulated by illness duration and the severity of symptom in patients with depression. What is more, the structural covariance of the NAcc connected to hippocampus was modulated by these two factors at the same time. These results elucidate altered structural covariance of the NAcc and its distinct modulation of illness duration and severity of symptom.