High-dose antidepressants affect near-infrared spectroscopy signals: A retrospective study

• Published in: NeuroImage clinical Vol. 14; no. C; pp. 648 - 655
• Main Authors: Takamiya, Akihiro, Hirano, Jinichi, Ebuchi, Yuki, Ogino, Satoyuki, Shimegi, Kenichi, Emura, Hiroyuki, Yonemori, Kyoko, Shimazawa, Akiko, Miura, Gentaro, Hyodo, Ayako, Hyodo, Sari, Nagai, Tunetaka, Funaki, Madoka, Sugihara, Masako, Kita, Mitsuhiro, Yamagata, Bun, Mimura, Masaru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.01.2017; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Antidepressant; Antidepressive Agents - therapeutic use; Bipolar disorder; Cognition Disorders - etiology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Major depressive disorder (MDD); Male; Middle Aged; Mood Disorders - complications; Mood Disorders - diagnostic imaging; Mood Disorders - drug therapy; Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS); Nerve Net - diagnostic imaging; Nerve Net - drug effects; Nerve Net - metabolism; Oxyhemoglobins - metabolism; Parietal Lobe - diagnostic imaging; Parietal Lobe - drug effects; Parietal Lobe - metabolism; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Radiology; Regression Analysis; Regular; Retrospective Studies; Schizophrenia; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; Temporal Lobe - diagnostic imaging; Temporal Lobe - drug effects; Temporal Lobe - metabolism; Antidepressant; International Classification of Diseases; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; magnetic resonance imaging; near-infrared spectroscopy; World Health Organization; Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical; defined daily dose; Schizophrenia; Bipolar disorder; Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS); oxy-hemoglobin; regional cerebral blood volume; major depressive disorder; verbal fluency task; Major depressive disorder (MDD); Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale; positron emission tomography; Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-17 item; DDD; MRI; HRSD-17; MDD; rCBV; NIRS; DSM; WHO; VFT; MADRS; ICD; oxy-Hb; ATC; PET; Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-17 item, (HRSD-17); International Classification of Diseases, (ICD); World Health Organization, (WHO); Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical, (ATC); magnetic resonance imaging, (MRI); major depressive disorder, (MDD); verbal fluency task, (VFT); near-infrared spectroscopy, (NIRS); positron emission tomography, (PET); defined daily dose, (DDD); regional cerebral blood volume, (rCBV); Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM); oxy-hemoglobin, (oxy-Hb); Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, (MADRS)
• ISSN: 2213-1582; 2213-1582
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.02.008

Recent studies have highlighted the clinical usefulness of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in psychiatry. However, the potential effects of psychotropics on NIRS signals remain unknown. We conducted a systematic chart review of 40 depressed patients who underwent NIRS scans during a verbal fluency task to clarify the relationships between psychotropic dosage and NIRS signals. The dosage of psychotropic medications was calculated using defined daily dose (DDD). We investigated the associations between the DDD of psychotropic medications and oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) in single channel levels. Retrospective study design and small sample size are the main limitations. Multiple regression analysis revealed that one channel in the right temporoparietal region had a significant association with antidepressant DDD controlling for age, sex, depression severity, and the DDD of antipsychotics and benzodiazepines. Moreover, high doses of antidepressants had significant effects on NIRS signals compared with low doses, in group comparisons. The dose-dependent impact of antidepressants on NIRS signals should be taken into account when interpreting NIRS data. •Antidepressant dose is negatively correlated with right temporoparietal NIRS signals during a verbal fluency task.•The effects of antidepressants are greater at higher dosage.•The effects of antidepressants should be considered when analyzing NIRS signals.