title: Bilateral ECT induces bilateral increases in regional cortical thickness.
abstract: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment for patients suffering from severe or treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD). Unfortunately its underlying neurobiological mechanisms are still unclear. One line of evidence indicates that the seizures produced by ECT induce or stimulate neuroplasticity effects. Although these seizures also affect the cortex, the effect of ECT on cortical thickness is not investigated until now. We acquired structural magnetic resonance imaging data in 19 treatment-resistant MDD patients before and after a bilateral ECT course, and 16 healthy controls at 2 time points, and compared changes in cortical thickness between the groups. Our results reveal that ECT induces significant, bilateral increases in cortical thickness, including the temporal pole, inferior and middle temporal cortex and the insula. The pattern of increased cortical thickness was predominant in regions that are associated with seizure onset in ECT. Post hoc analyses showed that the increase in thickness of the insular cortex was larger in responders than in non-responders, which may point to a specific relationship of this region with treatment effects of ECT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van Eijndhoven
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mulders
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kwekkeboom
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: van Oostrom
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Beek
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Janzing
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schene
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Faculty of Medicine and LVR Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tendolkar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D061218:Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology