Factor analysis of electroacupuncture and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for major depressive disorder: an 8-week controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence supporting electroacupuncture (EA) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), but its characteristics have not been well investigated. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness and characteristics of EA in MDD. METHODS: 60 subjects were enrolled-35 in the EA group and 25 in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) group based on their preferences-in an 8-week non-randomised controlled clinical trial. The 24-item Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD-24) and clinical global impression (CGI) were adopted for clinical assessment. The Columbia suicide severity rating scale and adverse event form were used to measure safety and tolerability. The characteristics of EA and SSRIs were compared by analysing seven factors of the HAMD-24. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of HAMD-24 response rate after intervention (P>0.05). Patients treated with EA demonstrated a significant reduction in CGI scores (P<0.05) with fewer adverse events compared with SSRIs (P<0.01). Although HAMD-24 factor analysis showed both EA and SSRIs could improve factor scores in cognitive impairment, diurnal variation, retardation, sleep disturbance, anxiety/somatisation and feelings of despair, EA showed greater improvement in anxiety/somatisation and feelings of despair than SSRIs (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference between EA and SSRIs in the treatment of MDD with respect to our primary outcome. However, as a potential therapy for MDD, EA appeared to result in greater symptom improvement than SSRI treatment with respect to anxiety/somatisation and feelings of despair. The results of this secondary analysis should be interpreted cautiously given the inherent issues of multiple testing.

The effects of S-adenosyl-L-methionine-vitamin B complex on mild and moderate depressive symptoms.

BACKGROUND: S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) acts as a methyl donor, with dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin elevating properties, with potential antidepressant effects. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of SAMe-vitamin B complex supplement for improving mild and moderate depressive symptoms. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study included 60 patients diagnosed with depression, with mild or moderate depressive symptoms, randomly allocated into two groups. The study group was treated with SAMe-vitamin B complex while the control group was administered a placebo, once daily for three months. The severity of depressive symptoms was measured by the Hamilton Depression rating scale (HAMD17). We measured the symptoms' severity with the Clinical Global Impression-Severity scale (CGI-S), and the improvement or worsening after treatment with the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale (CGI-I). RESULTS: The mean HAMD17 score at zero point refers to moderate depressive symptoms in both groups. We found a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the mean HAMD17 and CGI-S scores at three months (p <0.001) and a significant difference within the study group without an influence by the age or gender. Mean CGI-I score in the study group at three months showed minimally or much improvement while no change or minimal worsening was observed in the control group with significant differences between the groups (p <0.001). CONCLUSION: Three months of supplementation with SAMe-vitamin B complex is effective for the treatment of mild to moderate depressive symptoms. HIPPOKRATIA 2017, 21(3): 140-143.

Effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on major depressive disorder: A nonrandomized controlled pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Depression presents a significant burden to both patients and society. One treatment that has emerged is vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), an FDA-approved physical treatment for depressive disorders. However, the application of this intervention has been limited by the involvement of surgery and potential side effects. The aim of this study is to explore the effectiveness of stimulating the superficial branches of the vagus nerve as a solo treatment for MDD. METHODS: This is a nonrandomized, controlled study. The first cohort of patients (n=91) only received transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) for 12 weeks. In the second cohort (n=69), patients first received 4 weeks of sham taVNS followed by 8 weeks of taVNS. All treatments were self-administered by the patients at home after they received training from the hospitals. The primary outcome measurement was the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale measured at weeks 0, 4, 8, and 12. Data analysis included a timelag analysis comparing (1) real and sham taVNS groups at week 4; (2) the real taVNS group at week 4 vs the sham taVNS group at week 8 (fourth week of real taVNS following 4 weeks of sham); and (3) the real taVNS group at week 8 vs the sham taVNS group at week 12 (eighth week of real taVNS following sham). RESULTS: After four weeks of treatment, MDD patients in the taVNS group showed greater improvement than patients in the sham taVNS group as indicated by Hamilton score changes as well as response and remission rates at week four. In addition, we also found that the clinical improvements continued until week 12 during taVNS. LIMITATIONS: Patients were not randomized in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that taVNS is a promising, safe, and cost-effective therapeutic method for mild and moderate MDD.

Morphometric brain characterization of refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder: diffeomorphic anatomic registration using exponentiated Lie algebra.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have used neuroimaging to characterize treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This study sought to explore gray matter structure in patients with treatment-refractory OCD and compare it with that of healthy controls. METHODS: A total of 18 subjects with treatment-refractory OCD and 26 healthy volunteers were analyzed by MRI using a 3.0-T scanner and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Diffeomorphic anatomical registration using exponentiated Lie algebra (DARTEL) was used to identify structural changes in gray matter associated with treatment-refractory OCD. A partial correlation model was used to analyze whether morphometric changes were associated with Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale scores and illness duration. RESULTS: Gray matter volume did not differ significantly between the two groups. Treatment-refractory OCD patients showed significantly lower gray matter density than healthy subjects in the left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and mediodorsal thalamus (MD) and significantly higher gray matter density in the left dorsal striatum (putamen). These changes did not correlate with symptom severity or illness duration. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide new evidence of deficits in gray matter density in treatment-refractory OCD patients. These patients may show characteristic density abnormalities in the left PCC, MD and dorsal striatum (putamen), which should be verified in longitudinal studies.

Surgery for psychiatric disorders.

Surgery in psychiatric disorders has a long history and has regained momentum in the past few decades with deep brain stimulation (DBS). DBS is an adjustable and reversible neurosurgical intervention using implanted electrodes to deliver controlled electrical pulses to targeted areas of the brain. It holds great promise for therapy-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder. Several double-blind controlled and open trials have been conducted and the response rate is estimated around 54%. Open trials have shown encouraging results with DBS for therapy-refractory depression and case reports have shown potential effects of DBS on addiction. Another promising indication is Tourette syndrome, where potential efficacy of DBS is shown by several case series and a few controlled trials. Further research should focus on optimizing DBS with respect to target location and increasing the number of controlled double-blinded trials. In addition, new indications for DBS and new target options should be explored in preclinical research.

Effect of electroacupuncture on therapeutic effects and onset time of paroxetine for mild or moderate depression patients / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To observe the effect of electroacupuncture on onset time and effectiveness of Paroxetine for mild or moderate depression patients and on the scores of Hamilton depression rating scale for depression(HAMD) and self-rating depression scale(SDS). Methods Fifty-five patients with mild or moderate depression were randomly divided into A group( Paroxetine group,29 patients) and B group (Electroacupuncture combining with Paroxetine group,26 patients). Therapeutic periods for the two groups were 6 weeks. HAMD and SDS were used to evaluate the efficacy before the research and after treatment on 1 week,2 weeks,4 weeks,6 weeks.Results HAMD scores and SDS scores for A group were significant difference after 2 weeks treatment compared with the beginning of the research (P＜ 0.05 ) ;HAMD scores and SDS scores for B group were significant difference after 1 week treatment compared with the beginning of the research(P＜0. 05 ). Total effective rate of HAMD for A group was 71.4% ,total effective rate of SDS for A group was 75% ,total effective rate of HAMD for B group was 88% ,total effective rate of SDS for B group was 84%. The total effective rate between the two groups ordered by the individual chi-square test was significant difference( X2 = 4. 1790, P= 0. 0408). Conclusion Electroacupuncture can shorten the onset time and increase the effectiveness of paroxetine for mild or moderate depression patients.