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Short-term effects of escitalopram on regional brain function in first-episode drug-naive patients with major depressive disorder assessed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2013

L. Wang ,
K. Li ,
Q. Zhang ,
Y. Zeng ,
W. Dai ,
Y. Su ,
G. Wang ,
Y. Tan ,
Z. Jin  and
X. Yu
...Show all authors
L. Wang
Affiliation:
Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China The Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China
K. Li
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, 306 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China
Q. Zhang
Affiliation:
Mood Disorders Center, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Y. Zeng
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, 306 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China
W. Dai
Affiliation:
Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China The Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China
Y. Su
Affiliation:
Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China The Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China
G. Wang
Affiliation:
Mood Disorders Center, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Y. Tan
Affiliation:
Center for Psychiatric Research, Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Beijing, China
Z. Jin
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, 306 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China
X. Yu
Affiliation:
Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China The Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China
T. Si*
Affiliation:
Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China The Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr T. Si, Clinical Psychopharmacology Division, Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, No. 51 Hua Yuan Bei Road, Hai Dian District, China. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Background

Most knowledge regarding the effects of antidepressant drugs is at the receptor level, distal from the nervous system effects that mediate their clinical efficacy. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this study investigated the effects of escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), on resting-state brain function in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Method

Fourteen first-episode drug-naive MDD patients completed two fMRI scans before and after 8 weeks of escitalopram therapy. Scans were also acquired in 14 matched healthy subjects. Data were analyzed using the regional homogeneity (ReHo) approach.

Results

Compared to controls, MDD patients before treatment demonstrated decreased ReHo in the frontal (right superior frontal gyrus), temporal (left middle and right inferior temporal gyri), parietal (right precuneus) and occipital (left superior occipital gyrus and right cuneus) cortices, and increased ReHo in the left dorsal medial prefrontal gyrus and left anterior lobe of the cerebellum. Compared to the unmedicated state, ReHo in the patients after treatment was decreased in the left dorsal medial prefrontal gyrus, the right insula and the bilateral thalamus, and increased in the right superior frontal gyrus. Compared to controls, patients after treatment displayed a ReHo decrease in the right precuneus and a ReHo increase in the left anterior lobe of the cerebellum.

Conclusions

Successful treatment with escitalopram may be associated with modulation of resting-state brain activity in regions within the fronto-limbic circuit. This study provides new insight into the effects of antidepressants on functional brain systems in MDD.

Keywords

AntidepressantsfMRImajor depressive disorderregional homogeneityresting state
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 44 , Issue 7 , May 2014 , pp. 1417 - 1426
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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