TY - JOUR

T1 - Amygdala and hippocampal substructure volumes and their association with improvement in mood symptoms in patients with mood disorders undergoing electroconvulsive therapy

AU - Macoveanu, Julian

AU - Craciun, Sabina

AU - Ketterer-sykes, Eleanor B.

AU - Ysbæk-nielsen, Alexander Tobias

AU - Zarp, Jeff

AU - Kessing, Lars Vedel

AU - Jørgensen, Martin Balslev

AU - Miskowiak, Kamilla Woznica

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) demonstrates favorable outcomes in the management of severe depressivedisorders. ECT has been consistently associated with volumetric increases in the amygdala and hippocampus.However, the underlying mechanisms of these structural changes and their association to clinical improvementremains unclear. In this cross-sectional structural MRI study, we assessed the difference in amygdala subnucleiand hippocampus subfields in n = 37 patients with either unipolar or bipolar disorder immediately after eighthECT sessions compared to (n = 40) demographically matched patients in partial remission who did not receiveECT (NoECT group). Relative to NoECT, the ECT group showed significantly larger bilateral amygdala volumespost-treatment, with the effect originating from the lateral, basal, and paralaminar nuclei and the left corticoamydaloid transition area. No significant group differences were observed for the hippocampal or cortical volumes. ECT was associated with a significant decrease in depressive symptoms. However, there were nosignificant correlations between amygdala subnuclei volumes and symptom improvement. Our study corroborates previous reports on increased amygdalae volumes following ECT and further identifies the subnucleidriving this effect. However, the therapeutic effect of ECT does not seem to be directly related to structuralchanges in the amygdala

AB - Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) demonstrates favorable outcomes in the management of severe depressivedisorders. ECT has been consistently associated with volumetric increases in the amygdala and hippocampus.However, the underlying mechanisms of these structural changes and their association to clinical improvementremains unclear. In this cross-sectional structural MRI study, we assessed the difference in amygdala subnucleiand hippocampus subfields in n = 37 patients with either unipolar or bipolar disorder immediately after eighthECT sessions compared to (n = 40) demographically matched patients in partial remission who did not receiveECT (NoECT group). Relative to NoECT, the ECT group showed significantly larger bilateral amygdala volumespost-treatment, with the effect originating from the lateral, basal, and paralaminar nuclei and the left corticoamydaloid transition area. No significant group differences were observed for the hippocampal or cortical volumes. ECT was associated with a significant decrease in depressive symptoms. However, there were nosignificant correlations between amygdala subnuclei volumes and symptom improvement. Our study corroborates previous reports on increased amygdalae volumes following ECT and further identifies the subnucleidriving this effect. However, the therapeutic effect of ECT does not seem to be directly related to structuralchanges in the amygdala

U2 - 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2024.111859

DO - 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2024.111859

M3 - Journal article

VL - 343

JO - Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging

JF - Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging

SN - 0925-4927

M1 - 111859

ER -