title: The Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration (GEMRIC): Establishing a multi-site investigation of the neural mechanisms underlying response to electroconvulsive therapy.
abstract: Major depression, currently the world's primary cause of disability, leads to profound personal suffering and increased risk of suicide. Unfortunately, the success of antidepressant treatment varies amongst individuals and can take weeks to months in those who respond. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), generally prescribed for the most severely depressed and when standard treatments fail, produces a more rapid response and remains the most effective intervention for severe depression. Exploring the neurobiological effects of ECT is thus an ideal approach to better understand the mechanisms of successful therapeutic response. Though several recent neuroimaging studies show structural and functional changes associated with ECT, not all brain changes associate with clinical outcome. Larger studies that can address individual differences in clinical and treatment parameters may better target biological factors relating to or predictive of ECT-related therapeutic response. We have thus formed the Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration (GEMRIC) that aims to combine longitudinal neuroimaging as well as clinical, behavioral and other physiological data across multiple independent sites. Here, we summarize the ECT sample characteristics from currently participating sites, and the common data-repository and standardized image analysis pipeline developed for this initiative. This includes data harmonization across sites and MRI platforms, and a method for obtaining unbiased estimates of structural change based on longitudinal measurements with serial MRI scans. The optimized analysis pipeline, together with the large and heterogeneous combined GEMRIC dataset, will provide new opportunities to elucidate the mechanisms of ECT response and the factors mediating and predictive of clinical outcomes, which may ultimately lead to more effective personalized treatment approaches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Multimodal Imaging and Genetics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Radiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Leif
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oltedal
authors.affiliation: Center for Multimodal Imaging and Genetics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Hauke
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bartsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ole Johan Evjenth
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Sørhaug
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Division of Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.affiliation: VUmc Amsterdam/GGZinGeest, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Annemieke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dols
authors.affiliation: VUmc Amsterdam/GGZinGeest, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Max L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Stek
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Engineering, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ersland
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven, University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Emsell
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Department of Psychiatry, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van Eijndhoven
authors.affiliation: Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Miklos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Argyelan
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Department of Psychiatry, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Indira
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tendolkar
authors.affiliation: Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nordanskog
authors.affiliation: Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Martin Balslev
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Jorgensen
authors.affiliation: Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center, Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Iris E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Sommer
authors.affiliation: Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center, Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sophie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Heringa
authors.affiliation: LREN, Department of Clinical Neurosciences - CHUV, University Lausanne, Switzerland; Max-Planck-Institute for Human Brain and Cognitive Neurosciences, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Draganski
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Ronny
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Redlich
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dannlowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kugel
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven, University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Academic center for ECT and Neurostimulation (AcCENT), Kortenberg, Belgium.
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bouckaert
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven, University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Academic center for ECT and Neurostimulation (AcCENT), Kortenberg, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sienaert
authors.affiliation: Cleveland Clinic, Center for Behavioral Health, Cleveland, USA.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anand
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), CA, USA.
authors.forename: Randall
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Espinoza
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), CA, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Narr
authors.affiliation: Center for Multimodal Imaging and Genetics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.affiliation: Center for Multimodal Imaging and Genetics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Anders M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Division of Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; K.G. Jebsen Centre for Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ketil J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Oedegaard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007391:International Cooperation; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Electroconvulsive therapy; Longitudinal; MRI; Mega analysis; Multi-site