Qiao Wu,1 Wei Sun,1 Jiaojiao Liu,2 Peiwen Zhang2 

1Department of Psychiatry, The Third Hospital of Mianyang, Sichuan Mental Health Center, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Research Center of Educational Neuroscience, School of Educational Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Qiao Wu; Peiwen Zhang, Email bridgeqiao@foxmail.com; zhangpeiwen118@sina.com

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) poses a significant treatment challenge, with some patients unresponsive to conventional therapies. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can be effective but its mechanisms are not fully understood. This study employs functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to explore the neurobiological changes induced by ECT in A MDD patient, aiming to shed light on its therapeutic effects.
Purpose: This study employs fNIRS to assess differences between MDD patient and controls, and examines changes in cerebral hemodynamics and brain network nodes post-ECT to elucidate treatment mechanisms.
Methods: 26 age and gender-matched controls and one MDD male patient underwent fNIRS during a verbal fluency task. The patient received ECT, with dynamic evaluation of beta, integral, and centroid values in regions of interest (ROIs) post-treatment. Resting-state fNIRS and functional connectivity assessments were also conducted post-ECT.
Results: MDD patient exhibited significantly lower hemodynamic metrics and functional connectivity compared to controls at baseline. Post-ECT, dynamic changes in these metrics were observed, trending towards normalization and showing no significant differences from controls.
Conclusion: ECT modifies cerebral hemodynamics and functional connectivity in depressive patients, as evidenced by fNIRS metrics. This study underscores the utility of fNIRS for objective neurobiological monitoring in ECT treatment.

Keywords: functional near-infrared spectroscopy, cerebral hemodynamics, major depressive disorder, electroconvulsive therapy