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Singh SB, Tiwari A, Katta MR, Kafle R, Ayubcha C, Patel KH, Bhattarai Y, Werner TJ, Alavi A, Revheim ME. The utility of PET imaging in depression. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1322118. [PMID: 38711875 PMCID: PMC11070570 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1322118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
This educational review article aims to discuss growing evidence from PET studies in the diagnosis and treatment of depression. PET has been used in depression to explore the neurotransmitters involved, the alterations in neuroreceptors, non-neuroreceptor targets (e.g., microglia and astrocytes), the severity and duration of the disease, the pharmacodynamics of various antidepressants, and neurobiological mechanisms of non-pharmacological therapies like psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and deep brain stimulation therapy, by showing changes in brain metabolism and receptor and non-receptor targets. Studies have revealed alterations in neurotransmitter systems such as serotonin, dopamine, GABA, and glutamate, which are linked to the pathophysiology of depression. Overall, PET imaging has furthered the neurobiological understanding of depression. Despite these advancements, PET findings have not yet led to significant changes in evidence-based practices. Addressing the reasons behind inconsistencies in PET imaging results, conducting large sample size studies with a more standardized methodological approach, and investigating further the genetic and neurobiological aspects of depression may better leverage PET imaging in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shashi B. Singh
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Atit Tiwari
- BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | | | - Riju Kafle
- Rhythm Neuropsychiatry Hospital and Research Center Pvt. Ltd, Lalitpur, Nepal
| | - Cyrus Ayubcha
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Krishna H. Patel
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Yash Bhattarai
- Case Western Reserve University/The MetroHealth System, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Thomas J. Werner
- Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Abass Alavi
- Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Mona-Elisabeth Revheim
- The Intervention Center, Division of Technology and Innovation, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Chen X, Yang H, Cui LB, Li X. Neuroimaging study of electroconvulsive therapy for depression. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1170625. [PMID: 37363178 PMCID: PMC10289201 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1170625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an important treatment for depression. Although it is known as the most effective acute treatment for severe mood disorders, its therapeutic mechanism is still unclear. With the rapid development of neuroimaging technology, various neuroimaging techniques have been available to explore the alterations of the brain by ECT, such as structural magnetic resonance imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomography, arterial spin labeling, etc. This article reviews studies in neuroimaging on ECT for depression. These findings suggest that the neurobiological mechanism of ECT may regulate the brain functional activity, and neural structural plasticity, as well as balance the brain's neurotransmitters, which finally achieves a therapeutic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolu Chen
- The First Branch, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hanjie Yang
- Department of Neurology, The Thirteenth People’s Hospital of Chongqing, Chongqing, China
| | - Long-Biao Cui
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xiao Li
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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Yang KC, Chou YH. Molecular imaging findings for treatment resistant depression. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023; 278:79-116. [PMID: 37414495 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2023.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Approximately 40% of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) had limited response to conventional antidepressant treatments, resulting in treatment-resistant depression (TRD), a debilitating subtype that yielded a significant disease burden worldwide. Molecular imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission tomography (SPECT), can measure targeted macromolecules or biological processes in vivo. These imaging tools provide a unique possibility to explore the pathophysiology and treatment mechanisms underlying TRD. This work reviewed and summarized prior PET and SPECT studies to examine the neurobiology and treatment-induced changes of TRD. A total of 51 articles were included with supplementary information from studies for MDD and healthy controls (HC). We found that there were altered regional blood flow or metabolic activity in several brain regions, such as the anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, insula, hippocampus, amygdala, parahippocampus, and striatum. These regions have been suggested to engage in the pathophysiology or treatment resistance of depression. There was also limited data to demonstrate the changes in the markers of serotonin, dopamine, amyloid, and microglia over some regions in TRD. Moreover, several observed abnormal imaging indices were linked to treatment outcomes, supporting their specificity and clinical relevance. To address the limitations of the included studies, we proposed that future studies needed longitudinal designs, multimodal approaches, and radioligands targeting specific neural substrates for TRD to evaluate their baseline and treatment-related alterations in TRD. Adequate data sharing and reproducible data analysis can facilitate advances in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai-Chun Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Yuan-Hwa Chou
- Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for Quality Management, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
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Cervenka S, Frick A, Bodén R, Lubberink M. Application of positron emission tomography in psychiatry-methodological developments and future directions. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:248. [PMID: 35701411 PMCID: PMC9198063 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01990-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Mental disorders represent an increasing source of disability and high costs for societies globally. Molecular imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) represent powerful tools with the potential to advance knowledge regarding disease mechanisms, allowing the development of new treatment approaches. Thus far, most PET research on pathophysiology in psychiatric disorders has focused on the monoaminergic neurotransmission systems, and although a series of discoveries have been made, the results have not led to any material changes in clinical practice. We outline areas of methodological development that can address some of the important obstacles to fruitful progress. First, we point towards new radioligands and targets that can lead to the identification of processes upstream, or parallel to disturbances in monoaminergic systems. Second, we describe the development of new methods of PET data quantification and PET systems that may facilitate research in psychiatric populations. Third, we review the application of multimodal imaging that can link molecular imaging data to other aspects of brain function, thus deepening our understanding of disease processes. Fourth, we highlight the need to develop imaging study protocols to include longitudinal and interventional paradigms, as well as frameworks to assess dimensional symptoms such that the field can move beyond cross-sectional studies within current diagnostic boundaries. Particular effort should be paid to include also the most severely ill patients. Finally, we discuss the importance of harmonizing data collection and promoting data sharing to reach the desired sample sizes needed to fully capture the phenotype of psychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Cervenka
- Department of Medical Sciences, Psychiatry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. .,Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Andreas Frick
- grid.8993.b0000 0004 1936 9457Department of Medical Sciences, Psychiatry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Robert Bodén
- grid.8993.b0000 0004 1936 9457Department of Medical Sciences, Psychiatry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mark Lubberink
- grid.8993.b0000 0004 1936 9457Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Li XK, Qiu HT. Current progress in neuroimaging research for the treatment of major depression with electroconvulsive therapy. World J Psychiatry 2022; 12:128-139. [PMID: 35111584 PMCID: PMC8783162 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i1.128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 06/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) uses a certain amount of electric current to pass through the head of the patient, causing convulsions throughout the body, to relieve the symptoms of the disease and achieve the purpose of treatment. ECT can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of patients with major depression, but its therapeutic mechanism is still unclear. With the rapid development of neuroimaging technology, it is necessary to explore the neurobiological mechanism of major depression from the aspects of brain structure, brain function and brain metabolism, and to find that ECT can improve the brain function, metabolism and even brain structure of patients to a certain extent. Currently, an increasing number of neuroimaging studies adopt various neuroimaging techniques including functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, structural MRI, and diffusion tensor imaging to reveal the neural effects of ECT. This article reviews the recent progress in neuroimaging research on ECT for major depression. The results suggest that the neurobiological mechanism of ECT may be to modulate the functional activity and connectivity or neural structural plasticity in specific brain regions to the normal level, to achieve the therapeutic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Ke Li
- College of Medical Informatics, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Hai-Tang Qiu
- Mental Health Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
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Nikolac Perkovic M, Sagud M, Tudor L, Konjevod M, Svob Strac D, Pivac N. A Load to Find Clinically Useful Biomarkers for Depression. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1305:175-202. [PMID: 33834401 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-33-6044-0_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Depression is heterogeneous and complex disease with diverse symptoms. Its neurobiological underpinning is still not completely understood. For now, there are still no validated, easy obtainable, clinically useful noninvasive biomarker(s) or biomarker panel that will be able to confirm a diagnosis of depression, its subtypes and improve diagnostic procedures. Future multimodal preclinical and clinical research that involves (epi)genetic, molecular, cellular, imaging, and other studies is necessary to advance our understanding of the role of monoamines, GABA, HPA axis, neurotrophins, metabolome, and glycome in the pathogenesis of depression and their potential as diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment response biomarkers. These studies should be focused to include the first-episode depression and antidepressant drug-naïve patients with large sample sizes to reduce variability in different biological and clinical parameters. At present, metabolomics study revealed with high precision that a neurometabolite panel consisting of plasma metabolite biomarkers (GABA, dopamine, tyramine, kynurenine) might represent clinically useful biomarkers of MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matea Nikolac Perkovic
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marina Sagud
- University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lucija Tudor
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marcela Konjevod
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dubravka Svob Strac
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Nela Pivac
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.
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Gonçalves MCB, Glaser T, Oliveira SLBD, Ulrich H. Adenosinergic-Dopaminergic Signaling in Mood Disorders: A Mini-Review. J Caffeine Adenosine Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1089/caff.2020.0009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Talita Glaser
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Henning Ulrich
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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A randomized placebo-controlled PET study of ketamine´s effect on serotonin 1B receptor binding in patients with SSRI-resistant depression. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:159. [PMID: 32475989 PMCID: PMC7261801 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-0844-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist ketamine has a rapid antidepressant effect. Despite large research efforts, ketamine's mechanism of action in major depressive disorder (MDD) has still not been determined. In rodents, the antidepressant properties of ketamine were found to be dependent on both the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) and the serotonin (5-HT)1B receptor. Low 5-HT1B receptor binding in limbic brain regions is a replicated finding in MDD. In non-human primates, AMPA-dependent increase in 5-HT1B receptor binding in the ventral striatum (VST) has been demonstrated after ketamine infusion. Thirty selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor-resistant MDD patients were recruited via advertisement and randomized to double-blind monotherapy with 0.5 mg/kg ketamine or placebo infusion. The patients were examined with the 5-HT1B receptor selective radioligand [11C]AZ10419369 and positron emission tomography (PET) before and 24-72 h after treatment. 5-HT1B receptor binding did not significantly alter in patients treated with ketamine compared with placebo. An increase in 5-HT1B receptor binding with 16.7 % (p = 0.036) was found in the hippocampus after one ketamine treatment. 5-HT1B receptor binding in VST at baseline correlated with MDD symptom ratings (r = -0.426, p = 0.019) and with reduction of depressive symptoms with ketamine (r = -0.644, p = 0.002). In conclusion, reduction of depressive symptoms in MDD patients after ketamine treatment is correlated inversely with baseline 5-HT1B receptor binding in VST. Further studies examining the role of 5-HT1B receptors in the antidepressant mechanism of action of ketamine should be conducted, homing in on the 5-HT1B receptor as an MDD treatment response marker.
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