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Modulation of induced frontocentral theta (Fm-θ) event-related (de-)synchronisation dynamics following mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in Major Depressive Disorder

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Abstract

Depressive severity has been associated with attenuated neocortical frontal midline theta (Fm-θ) power/evoked activity. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) has shown to be a successful novel intervention for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), albeit precise working mechanisms remain elusive. We examined the hypothesis that MBCT would have modulating effects upon evoked Fm-θ power, in addition to investigating possible mediation of induced event-related de/synchronisation (ERD/ERS) dynamics. Fifty one patients with a primary diagnosis of MDD (26 exposed to MBCT vs. 25 wait-list/WL controls) undertook a Go/NoGo task consisting of positive, negative and neutral words, further stratified into abstract versus trait adjective matrices. Depressive symptom severity and rumination were also examined. A pattern of enhanced induced Fm-θ synchronisation during the latter 400–800 ms temporal-window pre-to-post MBCT was observed; the contrary in the WL. Modulated ERD/ERS dynamics correlated to amelioration in depressive and rumination symptoms in the MBCT group. We propose the primary action pathway alluded to a neural disengagement mechanism enacting upon tonic neuronal assemblies implicated in emotional and self-related processing. Due to the complexity and presently undiscovered complete unified scientific understanding of neuro-oscillatory-dynamics, and associated clinical interplays; we hypothesise that the electro-cortical and connected clinical working pathways of MBCT in depression are multi-levelled constituting nonlinear and interdependent mechanisms, represented by mediated EEG synchronisation dynamics.

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Abbreviations

ACC:

Anterior cingulate cortex

Ag/AgCl:

Silver/silver-chloride

CBT:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

CD:

Currently depressed

CDS:

Cambridge Depersonalization Scale

CMO:

Commissie Mensgebonden Onderzoek

DMN:

Default-mode network

DSM-IV-TR:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (version IV-TR)

ECT:

Electroconvulsive therapy

EEG:

Electroencephalography/electroencephalographic

EN:

Emotional numbing

ERD/ERS:

Event-related (de-)synchronization

ERD:

Event-related desynchronization

ERP:

Event-related potential

ERS:

Event-related synchronization

FA:

False alarm (i.e. response to NoGo stimuli)

FFMQ:

Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire

Fm-θ:

Front midline theta

ICA:

Independent Component Analysis

IDS:

Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology

ISI:

Inter-stimulus-interval

MBCT:

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

MDD:

Major Depressive Disorder

MEG:

Magnetoencephalography

mOFC:

Medial orbitofrontal cortex

rACC:

Rostral ACC

PFC:

Prefrontal cortex

RCT:

Randomized controlled trial

RD:

Remitted depressed

Rm-ANOVA:

Repeated measures-Analysis of variance

RRS:

Ruminative Response Scale

SCS:

Self-Compassion Scale

STAI—S/T:

State-trait anxiety inventory (state/trait)

TPN:

Task-positive network

TW:

Time window: E/L = Early [0–400 ms]/Late [400–800 ms]

WL:

Wait-list

dB:

Decibel

Hz:

Hertz

KΩ:

Kilo-ohm

ms:

Millisecond

µV:

Microvolt

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the BrainGain SmartMix Programme for the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, funded by the Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO); and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Much appreciation and gratitude to all those who participated in the experiments. We thank Addy de Graaf for assistance with research co-ordination; Magdalena Kowalczuk and Katrin Scheibe for help with data collection; Sietske Heusinveld, Joyce Besselink, Danique Smeijers, Irma Veliscek-van Maren, and the Radboud University Medical Centre for Mindfulness team for their generous assistance with patient recruitment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, Intelligent Systems, Radboud University Nijmegen, Postbus 9010, 6500 GL, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Poppy L. A. Schoenberg

  2. Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Poppy L. A. Schoenberg

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Anne E. M. Speckens

  4. Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study, Wassenaar, The Netherlands

    Poppy L. A. Schoenberg

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  1. Poppy L. A. Schoenberg
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Correspondence to Poppy L. A. Schoenberg.

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Schoenberg, P.L.A., Speckens, A.E.M. Modulation of induced frontocentral theta (Fm-θ) event-related (de-)synchronisation dynamics following mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in Major Depressive Disorder. Cogn Neurodyn 8, 373–388 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11571-014-9294-0

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