title: Actigraphy in patients with treatment-resistant depression undergoing electroconvulsive therapy.
abstract: Depressive disorder is frequently accompanied by changes in psychomotor activity and disturbances of the sleep-wake cycle. The chronobiological effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) are largely unknown. The objective of the current study was to measure the influence of ECT on patients' activity and sleep. 15 patients with unipolar TRD were treated with ECT. Activity levels were measured with wrist actigraphy before and after ECT. Remission rate (score on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale lower than 8 points) was 40.0%. Remitters had increases of 56.0% on light activity, 49.8% on total activity, and 70.2% on circadian amplitude, while there was no significant change of these variables in subjects who did not experience remission. The circadian acrophase and actigraphic sleep-parameters were not significantly affected by treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: dietmar.winkler@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Edda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pjrek
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Rupert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lanzenberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baldinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Eitel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kasper
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frey
mesh_terms: D056044:Actigraphy; D000328:Adult; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D061218:Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012008:Recurrence; D012890:Sleep; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Actigraphic measurements; Activity; Chronobiology; ECT; Sleep–wake cycle; Treatment-resistant depression