Structural connectivity of thalamic subnuclei in major depressive disorder: An ultra-high resolution diffusion MRI study at 7-Tesla

The thalamus serves as a central relay station within the brain, and thalamic connectional anomalies are increasingly thought to be present in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the use of conventional MRI scanners and acquisition techniques has prevented a thorough examination of the thalamus and its subnuclear connectional profile. We combined ultra-high field diffusion MRI acquired at 7.0 Tesla to map the white matter connectivity of thalamic subnuclei.