ECT and Auditory Evoked Potentials: New MEG Study

Out on PubMed,  as a preprint, is this paper:

Electroconvulsive Therapy Modulates Loudness Dependence of Auditory Evoked Potentials: A Pilot MEG Study.

Dib M, Lewine JD, Abbott CC, Deng ZD.medRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Apr 29:2024.04.26.24306462. doi: 10.1101/2024.04.26.24306462.

PMID: 38903065 Free PMC article. Preprint. 

The abstract is copied below:

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains a critical intervention for treatment-resistant depression (MDD), yet its neurobiological underpinnings are not fully understood. This pilot study utilizes high-resolution magnetoencephalography (MEG) in nine depressed patients receiving right unilateral ECT, to investigate the changes in loudness dependence of auditory evoked potentials (LDAEP), a proposed biomarker of serotonergic activity, following ECT. We hypothesized that ECT would reduce the LDAEP slope, reflecting enhanced serotonergic neurotransmission. Contrary to this, our findings indicated a significant increase in LDAEP post-ECT ( t 8 = 3.17, p = .013). The increase in LDAEP was not associated with changes in depression severity or cognitive performance, as assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-24) and Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). We discussed potential mechanisms for the observed increase, including ECT's impact on serotonergic, dopaminergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic receptor activity, neuroplasticity involving brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and inflammation modulators such as TNF- alpha . Our results suggest a complex interaction between ECT and these neurobiological systems, rather than a direct reflection of serotonergic neurotransmission.

The article is here.

And from the text:

I promise you I read every word of this; it's fairly well presented and even moderately interesting.

I commend the authors (kudos) for publishing the data that go in the opposite direction of their hypothesis.

That said, my synopsis is: up, down sideways, who knows? Serotonin, dopamine, GABA, cytokines?

And this paper definitely gets a gold medal first place award for the most scientifically/mathematically dense/arcane methods paragraph:

The "n" was only 9. Let's hope this work on a promising biomarker of ECT mechanism of action is replicated in a larger sample.