Published online May 19, 2022. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i5.708
Peer-review started: December 22, 2021
First decision: March 13, 2022
Revised: March 26, 2022
Accepted: April 21, 2022
Article in press: April 21, 2022
Published online: May 19, 2022
The mechanism of efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for major depressive disorder (MDD) is still unclear. Intrinsic functional activities of brain networks are correlated with different frequency bands.
The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) at different frequency bands (slow-5 (0.01-0.027 Hz), slow-4 (0.027-0.08 Hz)) in MDD patients may be changed regularly before and after ECT.
To investigate the alterations of the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in slow-5 (0.01-0.027 Hz) and slow-4 (0.027-0.08 Hz) in patients with MDD after ECT.
Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and the intrinsic neural oscillations in different bands were adopted to analyze the changes in MDD patients before and after ECT.
Compared to before ECT, we found that MDD patients after ECT had a higher ALFF in the typical band in some regions such as the right middle frontal gyrus and posterior cingulate. Moreover, there were other changes in slow-5 band and slow-4 band.
Our findings showed that the ALFF alterations in post-ECT patients were dependent on specific frequency bands.
These changes may reveal some mechanism of efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy for major depressive disorder.