Plasma noradrenaline response to electroconvulsive therapy in depressive illness

1997 ◽  
Vol 171 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. B. Kelly ◽  
S. J. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Depressive Illness ◽  
Plasma Noradrenaline ◽  
Clinical State ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Strong Trend ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Depression Ratings

BackgroundAbnormalities of catecholaminergic function have been hypothesised to cause depressive illness. Plasma noradrenaline can be used as a marker of central noradrenergic activity. It is of interest to examine the change in resting plasma noradrenaline in patients with depressive illness over a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and relate this to their clinical state.MethodPatients referred for ECT who suffered from DSM – III – R major depressive disorder or dysthymia were recruited. Blood samples were taken before and after each treatment, during a course of ECT, to measure plasma noradrenaline and Cortisol. Clinical ratings were carried out weekly during the course of ECT.ResultsPlasma noradrenaline fell significantly in those patients with melancholic/psychotic depressions but increased in those with non-melancholic depressive illness. There was a strong trend indicating that a fall in plasma noradrenaline was associated with improvement in depression ratings in the melancholic/psychotic patients only.ConclusionsElectroconvlusive therapy decreases plasma noradrenaline in melancholic/psychotic depressive illness and this shows a trend associated with clinical improvement.

scholarly journals Electroconvulsive Therapy Induces Cortical Morphological Alterations in Major Depressive Disorder Revealed with Surface-Based Morphometry Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (07) ◽  
pp. 1950005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinping Xu ◽  
Jiaojian Wang ◽  
Tongjian Bai ◽  
Xiaodong Zhang ◽  
Tian Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Therapeutic Efficacy ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Surface Based Morphometry

Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most effective treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD), the mechanism underlying the therapeutic efficacy and side effects of ECT remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated alterations in the cortical morphological measurements including cortical thickness (CT), surface area (SA), and local gyrification index (LGI) in 23 MDD patients before and after ECT. Furthermore, multivariate pattern analysis using linear support vector machine (SVM) was applied to investigate whether the changed morphological measurements can be effective indicators for therapeutic efficacy of ECT. Surface-based morphometry (SBM) analysis found significantly increased vertex-wise and regional cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA) in widespread regions, mainly located in the left insula (INS) and left fusiform gyrus, as well as hypergyrification in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) in MDD patients after ECT. Partial correlational analyses identified associations between the morphological properties and depressive symptom scores and impaired memory scores. Moreover, SVM result showed that the changed morphological measurements were effective to classify the MDD patients before and after ECT. Our findings suggested that ECT may enhance cortical neuroplasticity to facilitate neurogenesis to remit depressive symptoms and to impair delayed memory. These findings indicated that the cortical morphometry is a good index for therapeutic efficacy of ECT.

scholarly journals Case Report: Changes in Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Chronic Akathisia of a Depressed Patient Before and After Electroconvulsive Therapy Treatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihito Suzuki ◽  
Ryota Kobayashi ◽  
Toshinori Shirata ◽  
Hitomi Komoriya ◽  
Masafumi Kanoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Regional Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Regional Cerebral Blood ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Before And After

Akathisia, which characterized by subjective restlessness and objective hyperactivity, is induced mostly by antipsychotics and antidepressants. Chronic akathisia is defined as persistence of symptoms for more than 3 months. The pathophysiology of chronic akathisia remains unclear. This report describes a depressed patient, a 66-year-old woman with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, with chronic akathisia. Her regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) before and after the treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). She had experienced akathisia-like symptoms three times prior because of risperidone, escitalopram, and clomipramine administration, accompanied by major depression. After levomepromazine was added to quetiapine to treat insomnia, she developed akathisia symptoms such as a sense of restlessness and inability to sit in one place for a few minutes. These antipsychotics were withdrawn. Propranolol was administered, leading to no apparent improvement for 8 months. After she was diagnosed as having major depressive disorder and chronic akathisia, she received 10 sessions of bilateral ECT. Her depressive symptoms improved greatly. Akathisia disappeared completely after ECT. SPECT revealed that rCBF was decreased in the middle frontal gyrus and parietal lobe, that it was increased in the thalamus, fusiform gyrus, and cerebellum before ECT, and that these abnormalities in rCBF were approaching normal levels after ECT. Findings presented in this report suggest ECT as a beneficial treatment for chronic akathisia. Altered rCBF in the middle frontal gyrus, parietal lobe, thalamus, fusiform gyrus, and cerebellum, and especially decreased rCBF in the parietal lobe, may be related to the pathophysiology of chronic akathisia.

scholarly journals Blood Cell Counts and Blood Cell Ratios as Non-Specific Major Depressive Disorder Biomarkers

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-29
Author(s):  
M Krivosova ◽  
P Kusnir ◽  
M Kertys ◽  
M Mestanik ◽  
I Tonhajzerova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Blood Cell ◽  
Hospital Discharge ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
Recurrent Episode ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Lymphocyte Ratio ◽  
Before And After

Abstract Introduction: With an increasing prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) in population there is a particular interest in finding a suitable biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of the disease. Many studies have shown that MDD is linked to a systemic inflammatory process, so blood elements counts and ratios have been suggested to be promising indicators in the management and effectiveness of the disease therapy. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare absolute and relative white blood cells counts and to search for any changes in their ratios before and after the therapy of the patients. Methods: Our study included 36 patients who were admitted to hospital with either a new diagnosis or a recurrent episode of MDD and who were treated by a standard protocol. The peripheral blood samples were collected both at admission and at hospital discharge. Absolute white blood cell count and counts of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, platelets, as well as mean platelet volume, red blood cell distribution width, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio, and monocyte/lymphocyte ratio before and after hospitalization (14–29 days) were evaluated and compared. The test of normality was performed and, accordingly, single t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test was used for data analysis. Results: There were no significant differences between any blood cell ratios in blood samples before and after stay in hospital and appropriate treatment. Monocyte count was significantly higher in MDD patients after hospital discharge (p=0.007), there was a significantly higher difference in discharged patients suffering from MDD recurrent episode (F.33) compared to newly diagnosed MDD (F.32) patients (p=0.010). In patients treated with venlafaxine (N=23) there was a significant increase in monocyte/lymphocyte ratio observed at the end of hospitalization (p=0.018). Conclusions: The pharmacotherapy and additive treatment of the patients suffering from MDD led only to mild changes in blood cells counts. As our study included only a small number of patients, and blood cell parameters and ratios were compared after a relatively short duration of treatment, further and more detailed research is needed for final conclusions.

Is Old-Fashioned Electroconvulsive Therapy More Efficacious?

1992 ◽  
Vol 160 (3) ◽  
pp. 360-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan I.F. Scott ◽  
Colin R. Rodger ◽  
Ruth H. Stocks ◽  
Anne P. Shering
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Sine Wave ◽  
Simultaneous Recording ◽  
Depressive Illness ◽  
Constant Current ◽  
Constant Voltage ◽  
Major Depressive

In-patients suffering from major depressive disorder (endogenous subtype) were randomly allocated to treatment by either traditional ECT with constant-voltage modified sine-wave stimuli (n = 17) or modern, constant-current brief-pulse ECT (n = 14). All treatments were bilateral and monitored by simultaneous recording by EEG. The severity of depressive illness was assessed the day before treatment, after three treatments, and seven days after the last treatment. The improvement and final depression rating scores, the likelihood of recovery, and the average number of treatments received were virtually identical in the two groups. We concluded that the policy of bilateral suprathreshold modern ECT monitored by EEG is as efficacious as traditional ECT.

scholarly journals Epinephrine levels decrease in responders after electroconvulsive therapy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Pollak ◽  
Hannah Benedictine Maier ◽  
Nicole Moschny ◽  
Kirsten Jahn ◽  
Stefan Bleich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Plasma Level ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Catecholamine Metabolism ◽  
Treatment Resistant ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Time Points ◽  
First Time

AbstractWe examined potential changes in catecholamine plasma levels and cortisol serum levels in 29 patients with treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) during a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Blood samples were taken at three different time points: directly before (T1) and 15 min after (T2) the first ECT, and directly before the last one (T3). Patients responding to ECT had a significant decrease of the intraindividual epinephrine plasma level when both first time points (Δ T1-T2) were compared (χ2 (1) = 10.05, p = 0.002). This finding encourages further investigation in the understanding of the catecholamine-metabolism including its release and uptake in patients with treatment-resistant MDD receiving ECT.

scholarly journals Phosphodiesterase 8A to discriminate in blood samples depressed patients and suicide attempters from healthy controls based on A-to-I RNA editing modifications

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Salvetat ◽  
Fabrice Chimienti ◽  
Christopher Cayzac ◽  
Benjamin Dubuc ◽  
Francisco Checa-Robles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Rna Editing ◽  
Whole Blood ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Suicide Attempters ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Depressed Patients ◽  
The Brain

AbstractMental health issues, including major depressive disorder, which can lead to suicidal behavior, are considered by the World Health Organization as a major threat to global health. Alterations in neurotransmitter signaling, e.g., serotonin and glutamate, or inflammatory response have been linked to both MDD and suicide. Phosphodiesterase 8A (PDE8A) gene expression is significantly decreased in the temporal cortex of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. PDE8A specifically hydrolyzes adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP), which is a key second messenger involved in inflammation, cognition, and chronic antidepressant treatment. Moreover, alterations of RNA editing in PDE8A mRNA has been described in the brain of depressed suicide decedents. Here, we investigated PDE8A A-to-I RNA editing-related modifications in whole blood of depressed patients and suicide attempters compared to age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls. We report significant alterations of RNA editing of PDE8A in the blood of depressed patients and suicide attempters with major depression, for which the suicide attempt took place during the last month before sample collection. The reported RNA editing modifications in whole blood were similar to the changes observed in the brain of suicide decedents. Furthermore, analysis and combinations of different edited isoforms allowed us to discriminate between suicide attempters and control groups. Altogether, our results identify PDE8A as an immune response-related marker whose RNA editing modifications translate from brain to blood, suggesting that monitoring RNA editing in PDE8A in blood samples could help to evaluate depressive state and suicide risk.

Propofol Anaesthesia in Electroconvulsive Therapy

1994 ◽  
Vol 165 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher F. Fear ◽  
Carl S. Littlejohns ◽  
Eryl Rouse ◽  
Paul McQuail
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Induction Agent ◽  
Double Blind Study ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Seizure Duration ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Induction Agents

BackgroundThe induction agent propofol is known to reduce electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) seizure duration. It is assumed that outcome from depression is adversely affected by this agent. This study compares propofol and methohexitone as induction agents for ECT.MethodIn a prospective, randomised, double-blind study 20 subjects with major depressive disorder (DSM-III-R criteria) received propofol or methohexitone anaesthesia. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were used to assess depression before therapy, at every third treatment, and at the end of therapy. Seizure duration was measured using the cuff technique.ResultsMean seizure durations (P < 0.01) and mean total seizure duration (P < 0.01) were shorter in the propofol group. There was no difference in outcome.ConclusionsUse of propofol may not adversely affect outcome from depression and it is not necessarily contraindicated as an induction agent for ECT. Our results should be interpreted cautiously, and larger studies are needed.

Reduced latency to first antidepressant treatment in Italian patients with a more recent onset of major depressive disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S529-S529
Author(s):  
B. Grancini ◽  
B. Dell’Osso ◽  
L. Cremaschi ◽  
F. De Cagna ◽  
B. Benatti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Antidepressant Treatment ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Recent Onset ◽  
Valid Predictor ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Year 2000

IntroductionMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent burdensome disease, which frequently remains untreated. The duration of untreated illness (DUI) is modifiable parameter and a valid predictor of outcome. Previous investigation in patients with MDD revealed a DUI of different years, while recent reports have documented a reduction of DUI across time, in patients with different psychiatric disorders.Objectives/aimsThe present study was aimed to investigate potential differences in terms of DUI and related variables in patients with MDD across time.MethodsAn overall sample of 188 patients with MDD was divided in two subgroups on the basis of their epoch of onset (onset before and after year 2000). DUI and other onset-related variables were assessed through a specific questionnaire and compared between the two subgroups.ResultsThe whole sample showed a mean DUI of approximately 4.5 years, with a lower value in patients with more recent onset compared to the other subgroup (27.1 ± 42.6 vs. 75.8 ± 105.2 months, P < .05). Moreover, patients with onset after 2000 reported higher rates of onset-related stressful events and lower ones for benzodiazepines prescription (65% vs. 81%; P = 0.02; 47% vs. 30%; P = 0.02).ConclusionsThe comparison of groups with different epochs of onset showed a significant reduction in terms of DUI and benzodiazepines prescription, and a higher rate of onset-related stressful events in patients with a more recent onset. Reported findings are of epidemiologic and clinical relevance in order to evaluate progress and developments in the diagnostic and therapeutic pathways of MDD in Italian and other countries.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Early improvement as a predictor of final remission in major depressive disorder: New insights in electroconvulsive therapy

2018 ◽  
Vol 235 ◽  
pp. 169-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Martínez-Amorós ◽  
Ximena Goldberg ◽  
Verònica Gálvez ◽  
Aida de Arriba- Arnau ◽  
Virginia Soria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Early Improvement
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document