Objective       To determine the changes of gray matter volumes in the hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD)

and investigate the correlation of the changes with depression severity.       Methods      Thirteen patients with PSD and 18 patients without PSD after stroke undergoing examination of three-d

imensional high-resolution T1 weighted MRI in our hospital from June 2012 to May 2013 were enrolled in this study. Voxel-wise analyses of regional gray matter volume were conducted by the VBM analysis using DARTEL algorithm in SPM8. The bilateral hippocampus and ACC were regarded as regions of interest. Two-sample t-test and partial correlation analysis was used for statistical analysis.       Results      Compared with the non-PSD patients

the PSD group showed significantly lower gray matter volume in bilateral ACC (

P

0.001

voxel＞200) and bilateral hippocampus (

P

0.001

voxel＞200)

and had no region with increased gray matter volume. In the PSD patients

there was no correlation of the decreased volumes of gray matter with the scores of Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) (r=0.343

0.356

0.240 for bilateral ACC

and left and right hippocampus respectively

P

0.05) and illness duration (r=0.379

0.452

0.413 for bilateral ACC

and left and right hippocampus respectively

P

0.05).       Conclusion      Similar with primary depression

PSD patients have decreased gray matter volumes in the ACC and hippocampus

but the decreases have no correlation with depression severity.