Effects of electroconvulsive therapy on plasma levels of neuroactive steroids in inpatients with major depression.
Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract
; 18(4): 261-4, 2014 Oct.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25000174
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Neuroactive steroids (NAS) are neuroactive molecules that have been shown to be associated with various psychiatric disorders. There are some inconclusive findings about the alteration in neuroactive steroid levels after the treatment of depression and ECT is still one of the most effective treatment choices for treatment resistant depression. Thus, we aimed to investigate the alterations of several NAS in plasma after ECT in inpatients with treatment resistant depression.METHODS:
In this study we enrolled 19 consecutive patients, 12 female and 7 male inpatients with major depression, who were not responding to medication, for whom ECT was Indicated, and were not taking any antidepressant treatment for at least a week prior to enrolment. We measured plasma progesterone, testosterone, pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and estradiol levels before and after ECT.RESULTS:
The mean age of the participants was 38.3 ± 9.4 years. The mean plasma neuroactive steroid levels were insignificant between baseline and post ECT in patients with treatment resistant depression.CONCLUSIONS:
ECT does not seem to influence plasma neuroactive steroid levels in patients with treatment resistant depression. Additionally, plasma dehydroepiandrosterone and pregnenolone levels might be associated with improvement in depressive symptoms after ECT.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Neurotransmissores
/
Eletroconvulsoterapia
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Transtorno Depressivo Resistente a Tratamento
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
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Female
/
Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2014
Tipo de documento:
Article