Spatio-temporal dynamics of EEG features during sleep in major depressive disorder after treatment with escitalopram: a pilot study

Background Previous studies have shown escitalopram is related to sleep quality. However, effects of escitalopram on dynamics of electroencephalogram (EEG) features especially during different sleep stages have not been reported. This study may help to reveal pharmacological mechanism underlying escitalopram treatment. Methods The spatial and temporal responses of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) to escitalopram treatment were analyzed in this study. Eleven MDD patients and eleven healthy control subjects who completed eight weeks' treatment of escitalopram were included in the final statistics. Six-channel sleep EEG signals were acquired during sleep. Power spectrum and nonlinear dynamics were used to analyze the spatio-temporal dynamics features of the sleep EEG after escitalopram treatment. Results For temporal dynamics: after treatment, there was a significant increase in the relative energy (RE) of delta(1) band (0.5 - 2 Hz), accompanied by a significant decrease in the RE of beta(2) band (20 - 30 Hz). Lempel-Ziv complexity and Co - complexity values were significantly lower. EEG changes at different sleep stages also showed the same regulation as throughout the night sleep. For spatio dynamics: after treatment, the EEG response of the left and right hemisphere showed asymmetry. Regarding band-specific EEG complexity estimations, delta 1 and beta 2 in stage-1 and delta 1 in stage-2 sleep stage in frontal cortex is found to be much more sensitive to escitalopram treatment in comparison to central and occipital cortices. Conclusions The sleep quality of MDD patients improved, EEG response occurred asymmetry in left and right hemispheres due to escitalopram treatment, and frontal cortex is found to be much more sensitive to escitalopram treatment. These findings may contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the pharmacological mechanism of escitalopram in the treatment of depression.