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Alterations in temporal-spatial brain entropy in treatment-resistant depression treated with nitrous oxide: Evidence from resting-state EEG.

Weizhuang Kong, Zhe Sun, Jing Zhu, Lingjiang Li, Guanru Wang, Xuexiao Shao, Xiaowei Li, Bin Hu

Clinical Neurophysiology March 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2025.01.014 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed
Sample size 44
Population Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) patients
Intervention Nitrous oxide
Duration 1-hour intervention, 24-hour post-treatment follow-up
Topics Depression
Keywords Multivariate multiscale entropy Nitrous oxide Resting-State EEG Temporal-spatial brain entropy Treatment resistant depression
Key findings Nitrous oxide treatment led to significant time-dependent increases in brain entropy in the frontal lobe region, which correlated with symptom severity and treatment efficacy.

Abstract

Entropy analysis can quantify the dynamic states of the brain and reflect its information processing capacity. Nitrous oxide has shown rapid antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) patients, but its biomarkers are not yet established. We recruited 44 TRD patients and randomly assigned them to two groups: one received a 1-hour nitrous oxide inhalation treatment, while the other received a placebo. Resting-state EEG (rs-EEG) scans were conducted at baseline and 24 h post-treatment. A novel approach based multivariate multiscale entropy (MMSE) was employed to analyze temporal-spatial brain entropy (ts-BEN) across four hierarchical brain regions. TRD patients exhibited significant time-dependent increases in BEN in the frontal lobe region (sensor space: time scales 5-10; source space: time scales 1-5), changes not previously observed. Temporal-spatial BEN correlated with the severity of TRD symptoms and treatment efficacy, indicating adaptive adjustments in brain resting states. MMSE offers a novel supplementary method for rs-EEG BEN analysis, quantifying the sensitivity of ts-BEN in monitoring nitrous oxide treatment effects. Changes in frontal region ts-BEN may serve as potential biomarkers for TRD and its treatment outcomes. Our findings enhance the understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying nitrous oxide treatment for TRD, aiding in clinical diagnosis.

Comparable studies

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Study Year Design Participants
A Randomized Trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression Subjects with DSM-IV major depression (treatment resistant) 2006 Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study n = 18
Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients 2000 Randomized controlled trial n = 145
Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Cancer patients with life-threatening diagnoses and symptoms of depression and/or anxiety 2016 Randomized controlled trial n = 51
Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial Patients with cancer-related anxiety and depression 2016 Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial n = 29
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients 2004 Randomized controlled trial n = 73

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