Altruism and “love of neighbor” offer neuroanatomical protection against depression

• Published in: Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging 2021-09, Vol.315, p.111326-111326, Article 111326
• Main Authors: Miller, Lisa, Wickramaratne, Priya, Hao, Xuejun, McClintock, Clayton H., Pan, Lifang, Svob, Connie, Weissman, Myrna M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Altruism; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Depression; Depressive Disorder, Major - diagnostic imaging; High Risk; Humans; Love of neighbor; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; MRI; Spirituality
• ISSN: 0925-4927; 1872-7506
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2021.111326

•We found high levels of altruism and love of neighbor to be associated with relatively greater cortical thickness in regions of a VFTN, a network previously identified in fMRI research (Miller et al., 2019) to be associated with a personal spirituality.•Neuroanatomical correlates of altruism and love of neighbor were found to be prospectively protective against level of symptoms of depression (measured on the PHQ) in people at familial high risk for depression, who otherwise face increased likelihood for recurrence.•Neuroanatomical correlates of altruism and love of neighbor were found to be inversely associated with a life-time diagnosis of MDD in people at familial high risk for depression, who otherwise face greater life-time risk for MDD diagnosis.•Altruism shows a neuroanatomical protective effect against MDD for the doer of good!•Treatment models might include altruism and love as neighbor as forms of prevention against recurrence in people at high risk for depression. We prospectively investigate protective benefits against depression of cortical thickness across nine regions of a Ventral Frontotemporal Network (VFTN), previously associated with spiritual experience. Seventy-two participants at high and low risk for depression (Mean age 41 years; 22-63 years; 40 high risk, 32 low risk) were drawn from a three-generation, thirty-eight year study. FreeSurfer estimated cortical thickness over anatomical MRIs of the brain (Year 30) for each of the nine ROIs. Depression (MDD with SAD-L; symptoms with PHQ; Years 30 and 38) and spirituality (self-report on five phenotypes; Year 35), respectively, were associated with the weighted average of nine regions of interest. VFTN thickness was: 1) positively associated (p