Changes in heart rate variability of depressed patients after electroconvulsive therapy

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Erica B. Royster, Emory University; Lisa M. Trimble, Emory University; George Cotsonis, Emory University; Brian Schmotzer, Emory University; Amita Manatunga, Emory University; Natasha N. Rushing, Emory University; Giuseppe Pagnoni, Emory University; S. Freda Auyeung, Emory University; Angelo R. Brown, Emory University; Joel Schoenbeck, GE Healthcare; Smitha Murthy, Emory University; William McDonald, Emory University; Dominique L. Musselman, University of Miami
• Language: English
• Date: 2012-08-27
• Publisher: Hindawi Publishing Corporation
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2012 Erica B. Royster et al.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/794043
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology
• ISSN: 2090-0163
• Volume: 2012
• Start Page: 794043
• End Page: 794043
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the Dana Foundation and Grants R01-HL65523 and MH56617 from the National Institutes of Health.; Statistical support was provided by the Emory University Hospital General Clinical Research Center and Grant MO1-RR00039 from the National Institutes of Health.
• Research Categories: Biology, Biostatistics; Biology, Bioinformatics; Psychology, Behavioral

Abstract

Objective. As few, small studies have examined the impact of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) upon the heart rate variability of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), we sought to confirm whether ECT-associated improvement in depressive symptoms would be associated with increases in HRV linear and nonlinear parameters. Methods. After providing consent, depressed study participants (n = 21) completed the Beck Depression Index (BDI), and 15-minute Holter monitor recordings, prior to their 1st and 6th ECT treatments. Holter recordings were analyzed for certain HRV indices: root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), low-frequency component (LF)/high-frequency component (HF) and short-(SD1) versus long-term (SD2) HRV ratios. Results. There were no significant differences in the HRV indices of RMSDD, LF/HF, and SD1/SD2 between the patients who responded, and those who did not, to ECT. Conclusion. In the short term, there appear to be no significant improvement in HRV in ECT-treated patients whose depressive symptoms respond versus those who do not. Future studies will reveal whether diminished depressive symptoms with ECT are reliably associated with improved sympathetic/parasympathetic balance over the long-term, and whether acute changes in sympathetic/parasympathetic balance predict improved mental- and cardiac-related outcomes.