The relationship between brain structure volumes, depressive symptoms and body composition in obese/overweight and normal-/underweight women

Abstract Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent and heterogeneous in women. Different brain structures might be associated with depressive symptoms and body composition in women with obesity/overweight and normal-/underweight, although the data is limited. The analysis included 265 women from Bialystok PLUS population study, untreated with antidepressive or antipsychotic medications. The subjects underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and body composition analysis. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score was inversely associated with nucleus accumbens volume (β = −0.217, p = 0.008) in women with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2, but with insula volume (β = −0.147, p = 0.027) in women with BMI