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De Smet S, Int-Veen I, Vanhollebeke G, Pulopulos MM, Barth B, Pasche S, Baeken C, Nuerk HC, Plewnia C, Nieratschker V, Jochen Fallgatter A, Ehlis AC, Vanderhasselt MA, Rosenbaum D. Trait-dependent effects of theta burst stimulation after psychosocial stress: a sham-controlled study in healthy individuals. Clin Neurophysiol 2024:S1388-2457(24)00086-5. [PMID: 38556367 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2024.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Previous studies suggest that theta burst stimulation (TBS), a form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) might be a promising approach to modulate stress-reactive rumination and the associated psychophysiological stress response. Crucially, individuals showing higher levels of trait rumination might benefit more from prefrontal stimulation. METHODS In this sham-controlled study, 127 healthy individuals, with varying ruminative tendencies, received a single-session of intermittent TBS (iTBS), continuous TBS (cTBS) or sham TBS (sTBS) over the left DLPFC before being confronted with a Trier Social Stress Test. RESULTS Results showed significant TBS effects on salivary cortisol as a function of trait rumination. cTBS, as compared to sTBS and iTBS, resulted in an attenuated stress-induced cortisol response in high compared to low trait ruminators. Although independent of trait rumination levels, cTBS showed positive effects on stress-related changes in mood and, both cTBS and iTBS (versus sham) presented an enhanced heart rate recovery following the stressor. We found no evidence for (trait rumination-dependent) TBS effects on stress-reactive rumination, negative affect, subjective stress or heart rate variability. CONCLUSIONS cTBS shows beneficial effects on certain measures of stress, especially in high trait ruminators. SIGNIFICANCE These findings highlight the importance of accounting for individual differences when examining TBS effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie De Smet
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium; Brain Stimulation and Cognition (BSC) Lab, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - Isabell Int-Veen
- Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Gert Vanhollebeke
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Ghent University, Belgium; Medical Imaging and Signal Processing (MEDISIP) Group, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Matias M Pulopulos
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Beatrix Barth
- Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Germany
| | - Sarah Pasche
- Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Germany
| | - Chris Baeken
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZBrussel), Brussels, Belgium; Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | | | - Christian Plewnia
- Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Germany
| | - Vanessa Nieratschker
- Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Germany
| | - Andreas Jochen Fallgatter
- Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Germany
| | - Ann-Christine Ehlis
- Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Germany
| | - Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium
| | - David Rosenbaum
- Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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Li Z, Pulopulos M, Allaert J, De Smet S, De Wandel L, Kappen M, Puttevils L, Razza LB, Schoonjans E, Vanhollebeke G, Baeken C, De Raedt R, Vanderhasselt MA. Vagally-mediated HRV as a marker of trait rumination in healthy individuals? A large cross-sectional analysis. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14448. [PMID: 37779356 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
The tendency to ruminate (i.e., repetitive, self-referential, negative thoughts) is a maladaptive form of emotional regulation and represents a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor for stress-related psychopathology. Vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) provides a non-invasive, surrogate measure of vagal modulation of the heart, and higher HRV is considered an indicator of susceptibility, or ability to respond to stress. Past research has suggested a link between trait rumination and vmHRV; however, inconsistent results exist in healthy individuals. In this study, we investigated the association between the tendency to ruminate, brooding, and reflection (using the Ruminative Response Scale) with vmHRV measured at baseline in a healthy population using a large cross-sectional dataset (N = 1189, 88% female; mean age = 21.55, ranging from 17 to 48 years old), which was obtained by combining samples of healthy individuals from different studies from our laboratory. The results showed no cross-sectional correlation between vmHRV and trait rumination (confirmed by Bayesian analysis), even after controlling for important confounders such as gender, age, and depressive symptoms. Also, a non-linear relationship was rejected. In summary, based on our results in a large sample of healthy individuals, vmHRV is not a marker of trait rumination (as measured by the Ruminative Response Scale).
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Affiliation(s)
- Zefeng Li
- Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Matias Pulopulos
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jens Allaert
- Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Stefanie De Smet
- Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Linde De Wandel
- Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Mitchel Kappen
- Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Louise Puttevils
- Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Lais B Razza
- Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Emmanuelle Schoonjans
- Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gert Vanhollebeke
- Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Psychiatry (UZ Brussel), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Ixelles, Belgium
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Rudi De Raedt
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt
- Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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De Smet S, Ottaviani C, Verkuil B, Kappen M, Baeken C, Vanderhasselt MA. Effects of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation on cognitive and autonomic correlates of perseverative cognition. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14250. [PMID: 36683127 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Perseverative cognitions can provoke psychophysiological stress in the absence of an actual stressor and are considered important transdiagnostic vulnerability factors for several (mental) health issues. These stress-related cognitive processes are reflected by both cognitive (assessed by self-reports) and autonomic inflexibility (assessed by heart rate variability; HRV), with a key role attributed to the vagus nerve. Interestingly, modulation of the afferent branches of the vagus can be achieved with transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), a non-invasive technique that employs a low-intensity electrical current applied to the ear. In a sample of healthy individuals, we investigated the effects of taVNS of the left concha, compared to sham (earlobe) stimulation, on the cognitive and autonomic correlates of perseverative cognition following a psychosocial stress task. Interestingly, taVNS significantly reduced cognitive rigidity, reflected by reduced subjective perseverative thinking after psychosocial stress. Although there were no direct effects on autonomic correlates of perseverative cognition, individual differences in perseverative thinking after the stressor significantly affected the effects of taVNS on HRV. Specifically, more autonomic inflexibility during the stress task (i.e., reduced HRV) was associated with increases in perseverative thinking afterward for the sham condition, but not the active taVNS condition. Additional exploratory analyses revealed no significant moderation of stimulation intensity. Overall, the study findings endorse the association between perseverative cognitions and vagus nerve functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie De Smet
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Cristina Ottaviani
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Bart Verkuil
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Mitchel Kappen
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Psychiatry, Brussels University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Moses TE, Gray E, Mischel N, Greenwald MK. Effects of neuromodulation on cognitive and emotional responses to psychosocial stressors in healthy humans. Neurobiol Stress 2023; 22:100515. [PMID: 36691646 PMCID: PMC9860364 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Physiological and psychological stressors can exert wide-ranging effects on the human brain and behavior. Research has improved understanding of how the sympatho-adreno-medullary (SAM) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axes respond to stressors and the differential responses that occur depending on stressor type. Although the physiological function of SAM and HPA responses is to promote survival and safety, exaggerated psychobiological reactivity can occur in psychiatric disorders. Exaggerated reactivity may occur more for certain types of stressors, specifically, psychosocial stressors. Understanding stressor effects and how the body regulates these responses can provide insight into ways that psychobiological reactivity can be modulated. Non-invasive neuromodulation is one way that responding to stressors may be altered; research into these interventions may provide further insights into the brain circuits that modulate stress reactivity. This review focuses on the effects of acute psychosocial stressors and how neuromodulation might be effective in altering stress reactivity. Although considerable research into stress interventions focuses on treating pathology, it is imperative to first understand these mechanisms in non-clinical populations; therefore, this review will emphasize populations with no known pathology and consider how these results may translate to those with psychiatric pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mark K. Greenwald
- Corresponding author. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Tolan Park Medical Building, 3901 Chrysler Service Drive, Suite 2A, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA.
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Razza LB, Luethi MS, Zanão T, De Smet S, Buchpiguel C, Busatto G, Pereira J, Klein I, Kappen M, Moreno M, Baeken C, Vanderhasselt MA, Brunoni AR. Transcranial direct current stimulation versus intermittent theta-burst stimulation for the improvement of working memory performance. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2023; 23:100334. [PMID: 36168602 PMCID: PMC9478927 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques have been increasingly used over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to enhance working memory (WM) performance. Notwithstanding, NIBS protocols have shown either small or inconclusive cognitive effects on healthy and neuropsychiatric samples. Therefore, we assessed working memory performance and safety of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS), and both therapies combined vs placebo over the neuronavigated left DLPFC of healthy participants. Twenty-four subjects were included to randomly undergo four sessions of NIBS, once a week: tDCS alone, iTBS alone, combined protocol and placebo. The 2-back task and an adverse effect scale were applied after each NIBS session. Results revealed a significantly faster response for iTBS (b= -21.49, p= 0.04), but not for tDCS and for the interaction tDCS vs. iTBS (b= 13.67, p= 0.26 and b= 40.5, p= 0.20, respectively). No changes were observed for accuracy and no serious adverse effects were found among protocols. Although tolerable, an absence of synergistic effects for the combined protocol was seen. Nonetheless, future trials accessing different outcomes for the combined protocols, as well as studies investigating iTBS over the left DLPFC for cognition and exploring sources of variability for tDCS are encouraged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lais B. Razza
- Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) lab, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Matthias S. Luethi
- Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tamires Zanão
- Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Stefanie De Smet
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) lab, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Carlos Buchpiguel
- Divisão de Medicina Nuclear (LIM-43), Instituto de Radiologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Geraldo Busatto
- Laboratório de Neuroimagem em Psiquiatria (LIM-21) e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, R Dr Ovidio Pires de Campos 785, 2o andar, 05403-000, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juliana Pereira
- Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Izio Klein
- Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mitchel Kappen
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) lab, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marina Moreno
- Hospital Universitário, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Chris Baeken
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) lab, Ghent, Belgium
- Free University Brussels: Department of Psychiatry (UZBrussel), Belgium
- Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering, the Netherlands
| | - Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt
- Department of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) lab, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - André R. Brunoni
- Serviço Interdisciplinar de Neuromodulação, Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratório de Neuroimagem em Psiquiatria (LIM-21) e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, R Dr Ovidio Pires de Campos 785, 2o andar, 05403-000, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo & Hospital Universitário, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof Lineu Prestes 2565, 05508-000, São Paulo, Brazil
- Hospital Universitário, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Corresponding author at: Service of Interdisciplinary Neuromodulation, R Dr Ovídio Pires de Campos 785, 2o andar Ala Sul, Instituto de Psiquiatria, CEP 05403-000, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Sinha P, Shreekantiah U, Goyal N, Sreeraj VS, Arumugham SS, Samantaray S, Jammigumpula A, Nanjundaiah GKK, Venkataramaiah S, Thennarasu K, Roy C, Purohith AN, Shenoy S, Kumar CN, Shivakumar V, Udupa K, Muralidharan K, Venkatasubramanian G, Thirthalli J, Praharaj SK, Mehta UM. Study protocol for evaluating the clinical efficacy and neurobiological correlates of sequential treatment with tDCS primed iTBS and ECT in treatment-resistant depression. Wellcome Open Res 2022. [DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.18192.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Treatment-resistant depression is a burdensome condition. Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is considered a treatment option in early course of resistance with a proportion of such patients responding to it. Preliminary evidence suggests a role of priming iTBS stimulation with preconditioning using cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). This protocol describes a double-blind randomized sham-controlled study to evaluate the clinical efficacy and tolerability of tDCS-primed iTBS in the treatment of resistant depression. Non-responders to this trial will be offered open-label electroconvulsive therapy. All participants will undergo neurobiological investigations that will enable the identification of potential response predictors and mechanisms. Methods: Three hundred and fifty consenting patients with treatment resistant depression will be randomly assigned to receive 20–30 daily sessions of true-tDCS or sham-tDCS primed iTBS over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex at three study centers. After this blinded sham-controlled trial, non-responders to the intervention will be offered open-label true ECT. Clinical assessments, neurocognitive assessments and multimodal investigations (magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, heart rate variability, investigative transcranial magnetic stimulation-transcranial direct current stimulation, gene polymorphisms) will be conducted at baseline and repeated after the end of the trial, as well as open-label ECT course. The trial will evaluate the improvement in depressive symptoms (Hamilton depression rating scale) between the two groups as the primary outcome measure.
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