ArticleBrain and behavior2020
Anterior cingulate gamma-aminobutyric acid concentrations and electroconvulsive therapy.
Article in Brain and behavior, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neurometabolics of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in major depressive disorder (MDD): A systematic review and meta-analysis.NeuroImage. Clinical · 2026Pooled it
- Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Depressed Subjects Treated With Electroconvulsive Therapy-A Systematic Review of Literature.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Age-dependent alterations in anterior cingulate excitation-inhibition balance in major depressive disorder revealed by 7-Tesla magnetic resonance spectroscopy.NeuroImage. Clinical · 2026Article
- Effects of GABA, Sex, and Stress on Reward Learning in Current and Remitted Major Depression.Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2024Article
- Depression and the Glutamate/GABA-Glutamine Cycle.Current neuropharmacology · 2024Review
- Metabolites for monitoring symptoms and predicting remission in patients with depression who received electroconvulsive therapy: a pilot study.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Parsing the Network Mechanisms of Electroconvulsive Therapy.Biological psychiatry · 2022Review
- The Neurobiological Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy Studied Through Magnetic Resonance: What Have We Learned, and Where Do We Go?Biological psychiatry · 2022Review
- The Development of GABAergic Network in Depression in Recent 17 Years: A Visual Analysis Based on CiteSpace and VOSviewer.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Review
- Effects of N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and CaAnnals of translational medicine · 2021Article
- Anterior cingulate gamma-aminobutyric acid concentrations and electroconvulsive therapy.Brain and behavior · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
15 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThe anticonvulsant hypothesis posits that ECT's mechanism of action is related to enhancement of endogenous anticonvulsant brain mechanisms. Results of prior studies investigating the role of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid ("GABA+", GABA and coedited macromolecules) in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression remain inconclusive. The aim of our study was to investigate treatment-responsive changes of GABA+ in subjects with a depressive episode receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
methodsIn total, 41 depressed subjects (DEP) and 35 healthy controls (HC) were recruited at two independent sites in Norway and the USA. MEGA-PRESS was used for investigation of GABA+ in the anterior cingulate cortex. We assessed longitudinal and cross-sectional differences between DEP and HC, as well as the relationship between GABA+ change and change in depression severity and number of ECTs. We also assessed longitudinal differences in cognitive performance and GABA+ levels.
resultsDepressive episode did not show a difference in GABA+ relative to HC (t
conclusionOur results failed to support GABA as a marker for depression and abnormal mood state and provide no support for the anticonvulsant hypothesis of ECT. ECT-induced change in GABA concentrations may be related to change in cognitive function.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.