title: Electroconvulsive therapy selectively enhances amyloid β 1-42 in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with major depression: A prospective pilot study.
abstract: A complex interplay between β-amyloid (Aβ), Alzheimer׳s disease (AD) and major depression disorder (MDD) suggests that patients with MDD have an altered cerebral Aβ metabolism and an increased risk of developing AD. In order to elucidate the relationship between antidepressant treatment and Aβ metabolism in humans, we performed a study on Aβ peptides in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with MDD during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as an effective antidepressant treatment. We measured the levels of Aβ1-42, Aβ1-40and of tau proteins in the CSF in 12 patients with MDD before and after a course of ECT. Aβ1-42was significantly elevated after the ECT treatment compared to baseline, whereas no difference was found for other peptides and proteins such as Aβ1-40, Aβ ratio, total tau protein or its phosphorylated form. The most salient finding was, that the increase of Aβ1-42after ECT was found in all patients with clinical response to the treatment, but not in those who did not respond. The number of ECT sessions of each responding patient correlated with the increase of Aβ1-42in the CSF. Our data point towards to a specific antidepressant mechanism which is not based on a general increase of Aβ, but seems to involve merely Aβ1-42, the isoform with highest amyloidogenic potential. We present the first study in humans demonstrating an isolated mobilization of Aβ1-42in the CSF of patients with depression who respond to an ECT treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim / Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: laura.kranaster@zi-mannheim.de.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kranaster
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim / Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Suna Su
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Aksay
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim / Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan Malte
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bumb
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Janke
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Angelika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Dementia Research Group, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zerr
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Dementia Research Group, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim / Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Lucrezia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hausner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim / Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Lutz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frölich
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim / Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sartorius
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C075222:amyloid beta-protein (1-42); D016875:tau Proteins
keywords: CSF, Alzheimer׳s disease; Cerebrospinal fluid; Depression; ECT; Electroconvulsive therapy; β-amyloid