BACKGROUND: In treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a treatment with high efficacy. While knowledge regarding changes in brain structure following ECT is growing, the effects of ECT on brain function during emotional processing are largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of ECT on the activity of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and amygdala during negative emotional stimuli processing and its association with clinical response. METHODS: In this non-randomized longitudinal study, patients with MDD (n = 37) were assessed before and after treatment with ECT. Healthy controls (n = 37) were matched regarding age and gender. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was obtained twice, at baseline and after six weeks using a supraliminal face-matching paradigm. In order to evaluate effects of clinical response, additional post-hoc analyses were performed comparing responders to non-responders. RESULTS: After ECT, patients with MDD showed a statistically significant increase in ACC activity during processing of negative emotional stimuli (pFWE = .039). This effect was driven by responders (pFWE = .023), while non-responders showed no increase. Responders also had lower pre-treatment ACC activity compared to non-responders (pFWE = .025). No significant effects in the amygdala could be observed. CONCLUSIONS: ECT leads to brain functional changes in the ACC, a relevant region for emotional regulation during processing of negative stimuli. Furthermore, baseline ACC activity might serve as a biomarker for treatment response. Findings are in accordance with recent studies highlighting properties of pre-treatment ACC to be associated with general antidepressive treatment response.
BACKGROUND: In treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a treatment with high efficacy. While knowledge regarding changes in brain structure following ECT is growing, the effects of ECT on brain function during emotional processing are largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of ECT on the activity of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and amygdala during negative emotional stimuli processing and its association with clinical response. METHODS: In this non-randomized longitudinal study, patients with MDD (n = 37) were assessed before and after treatment with ECT. Healthy controls (n = 37) were matched regarding age and gender. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was obtained twice, at baseline and after six weeks using a supraliminal face-matching paradigm. In order to evaluate effects of clinical response, additional post-hoc analyses were performed comparing responders to non-responders. RESULTS: After ECT, patients with MDD showed a statistically significant increase in ACC activity during processing of negative emotional stimuli (pFWE = .039). This effect was driven by responders (pFWE = .023), while non-responders showed no increase. Responders also had lower pre-treatment ACC activity compared to non-responders (pFWE = .025). No significant effects in the amygdala could be observed. CONCLUSIONS: ECT leads to brain functional changes in the ACC, a relevant region for emotional regulation during processing of negative stimuli. Furthermore, baseline ACC activity might serve as a biomarker for treatment response. Findings are in accordance with recent studies highlighting properties of pre-treatment ACC to be associated with general antidepressive treatment response.
Authors: Corinna Hartling; Sophie Metz; Corinna Pehrs; Milan Scheidegger; Rebecca Gruzman; Christian Keicher; Andreas Wunder; Anne Weigand; Simone Grimm Journal: Brain Sci Date: 2021-04-21
Authors: Hossein Dini; Mohammad S E Sendi; Jing Sui; Zening Fu; Randall Espinoza; Katherine L Narr; Shile Qi; Christopher C Abbott; Sanne J H van Rooij; Patricio Riva-Posse; Luis Emilio Bruni; Helen S Mayberg; Vince D Calhoun Journal: Front Hum Neurosci Date: 2021-07-06 Impact factor: 3.169