< Back to previous page

Project

Synaptic density changes and gray matter volume increase following electroconvulsive therapy

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe illness and contributes extensively to years lived with disability. In the elderly, the burden associated with late-life depression (LDD) increases as the disease is related to more adverse outcomes in other medical causes of disability. Therefore, effective treatment for MDD is vital. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is such a rapid-acting and effective antidepressant treatment, especially in the elderly, but its working mechanism remains poorly understood. It is hypothesized that ECT exerts its antidepressant effects by restoring unbalanced neurocircuitries via neuroplastic mechanisms such as the stimulation of growth factors like brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and the creation of new brain cells. Whereas the growth of new brain cells and connections has been shown in electroconvulsive seizures (ECS), the animal model of ECT, it remains hypothetical in the human brain. The current project will apply state-of-the-art in vivo synaptic density imaging to provide the first in vivo evidence of synaptoplasticity in the human brain following ECT. By relating ECT induced synaptoplasticity to both the clinical response and the observed cognitive side-effects of ECT our findings will provide deeper insights into both the neurobiology of depression and ECT.

Date:11 Mar 2019 →  Today
Keywords:Depression, Electroconvulsve therapy, PET-MR
Disciplines:Biological psychiatry, Neurosciences not elsewhere classified
Project type:PhD project