Brain-heart dynamics in treatment-resistant depression and the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
Project Overview
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive neurostimulation therapy, recommended by Canadian guidelines as a first-line intervention for major depression that does not respond to an adequate course of pharmacological therapy, known as treatment-resistant depression (TRD). rTMS applies a series of pulses to the prefrontal cortex, leading to changes in brain activity. rTMS also induces changes in cardiac activity, specifically heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), which is the variation in time intervals between each consecutive heartbeat and serves as an index of autonomic nervous system activity. These changes in cardiac activity are hypothesized to be through rTMS engagement of brain areas involved in autonomic control. This project aims to investigate HRV as a potential biomarker of rTMS efficacy by 1) characterizing HRV and its relationship with brain activity during a depressive episode in TRD, and 2) characterizing the changes in brain-heart dynamics after a course of rTMS treatment, with the goal of determining whether the antidepressant effects of rTMS are related to these changes.
Principal Investigator
Elizabeth Gregory , University of British Columbia
Partners and Donors
Naomi Azrieli, O.C.