title: Brain network properties in depressed patients receiving seizure therapy: A graph theoretical analysis of peri-treatment resting EEG.
abstract: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), the most efficacious antidepressant therapy for treatment-resistant depression, has been reported to alter functional brain network architecture by down-regulating connectivity in frontotemporal circuitry. Magnetic seizure therapy (MST), which induces therapeutic seizures with high dose repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, has been introduced to improve the seizure therapy risk/benefit ratio. Unfortunately, there is limited understanding of seizure therapy's underlying mechanisms of action. In this study, we apply graph theory-based connectivity analysis to peri-treatment, resting-state, topographical electroencephalography (EEG) in patients with depression receiving seizure therapy. Functional connectivity was assessed using the de-biased weighted phase lag index, a measure of EEG phase synchronization. Brain network structure was quantified using graph theory metrics, including betweenness centrality, clustering coefficient, network density, and characteristic path length. We found a significant reduction in the phase synchronization and aberration of the small-world architecture in the beta frequency band, which could be related to acute clinical and cognitive effects of seizure therapy.
authors.forename: Zhi-De
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Shawn M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: McClinctock
authors.forename: Sarah H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lisanby
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D058407:Electroencephalography Phase Synchronization; D006801:Humans; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D012640:Seizures / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*