Erica B Royster, Lisa M Trimble, George Cotsonis, Brian Schmotzer, Amita Manatunga, Natasha N Rushing, Giuseppe Pagnoni, S Freda Auyeung, Angelo R Brown, Joel Schoenbeck, Smitha Murthy, William M McDonald, Dominique L Musselman
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...
2012: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology