Analyzing Fractal Dimension in Electroconvulsive Therapy: Unraveling Complexity in Structural and Functional Neuroimaging

• DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.23.24303023
• Publication Date: 2024-12-13T17:58:09Z
• Authors: Niklaus Denier; Matthias Grieder; Kay Jann; Sigrid Breit; Nicolas Mertse; Sebastian Walther; Leila M. Soravia; Agnes Meyer; Andrea Federspiel; Roland Wiest; Tobias Bracht
• Keywords: Male; Adult; Connectivity; Depressive Disorder, Major; Bipolar Disorder; Neuronal Plasticity; Depression; Functional Neuroimaging; 610 Medicine & health; Neuroimaging; Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry; Middle Aged; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Hippocampus; Fractals; Treatment Outcome; Electroconvulsive therapy; Humans; Neuroplasticity; Female; Electroconvulsive Therapy; Functional MRI; RC321-571

Abstract Background Numerous studies show that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) induces hippocampal neuroplasticity, but findings are inconsistent regarding its clinical relevance. This study aims to investigate ECT-induced plasticity of anterior and posterior hippocampi using mathematical complexity measures in neuroimaging, namely Higuchi’s fractal dimension (HFD) for fMRI time series the cortical morphology (FD-CM). Furthermore, we explore potential these predict ECT treatment response. Methods Twenty patients with a current depressive episode (16 major disorder 4 bipolar disorder) underwent MRI-scans before after an ECT-series. healthy controls matched age sex were also scanned twice comparison purposes. Resting-state data processed, HFD was computed hippocampi. Group-by-time effects calculated correlations between changes improvement depression severity examined. For baseline FD-CM analyses, preprocessed structural MRI CAT12’s surfacebased methods. We explored predictive value outcome. Results Patients exhibited significant increase bilateral from follow-up scans. Right associated reductions severity. After applying whole-brain regression analysis, found left temporal pole predicted reduction overall ECT. Baseline did not Conclusion pioneering suggests promising imaging markers neuroplasticity