Despite novel antidepressant development, 10–30% of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have antidepressant treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Although new therapies are needed, lack of knowledge regarding the neural mechanisms underlying TRD hinders development of new therapeutic options. We aimed to identify brain regions in which spontaneous neural activity is not only altered in TRD but also associated with early treatment resistance in MDD. Sixteen patients with TRD, 16 patients with early-phase non-TRD and 26 healthy control (HC) subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. To identify brain region differences in spontaneous neural activity between patients with and without TRD, we assessed fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF). We also calculated correlations between the percent change in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD17) scores and fALFF values in brain regions with differing activity for patients with and without TRD. Patients with TRD had increased right-thalamic fALFF values compared with patients without TRD. The percent change in HRSD17 scores negatively correlated with fALFF values in patients with non-TRD. In addition, patients with TRD showed increased fALFF values in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and vermis, compared with patients with non-TRD and HC subjects. Our results show that spontaneous activity in the right thalamus correlates with antidepressant treatment response. We also demonstrate that spontaneous activity in the right IFG, IPL and vermis may be specifically implicated in the neural pathophysiology of TRD.

Object Laminoplasty has been used to expand the cervical spinal canal, based on the belief that reconstruction of the laminae preserves musculoskeletal function. The true efficacy of laminoplasty for maintaining spinal alignment, stability, and flexibility, however, remains to be proven. The authors have developed a new method, myoarchitectonic spinolaminoplasty (MSLP), which preserves all of the nuchal muscles and reconstitutes all of the musculoskeletal couplings to the posterior elements of the vertebrae. The details of this technique are described, and the efficacy of the technique in conserving muscle volume, alignment, and motion, as well as in preventing postoperative musculoskeletal discomfort, is assessed. Methods The authors' previous midline-splitting laminoplasty procedure, which utilized a hydroxyapatite (HA) implant as a substitute for the spinous process, was improved. Detachment of the muscles is avoided with this new technique by cutting inside the spinous process. The bone–muscle flaps are affixed to the HA spinous process. Radiographs, computed tomography scans, and neurological evaluations obtained at the 1-year follow-up in the groups of consecutive patients assessed immediately prior to and after the modification of the previous technique (the control and the MSLP groups, respectively) were analyzed and compared. Results The HA bone constructs became integrated due to osteoconduction. The cross-sectional area of the semispinalis capitis, semispinalis cervicis, and multifidus muscles remained significantly larger in the MSLP group. Slight attenuation in lordosis was observed in the control group, but was prevented in the MSLP group. Range of motion was somewhat restricted in the MSLP group, but the incidence of neck pain and shoulder strain was significantly reduced. Conclusions The new MSLP method was effective in preserving the volume and functions of the nuchal musculature and helping to minimize postoperative musculoskeletal complaints.

BackgroundAmygdala hyper-reactivity is sometimes assumed to be a vulnerability factor that predates depression; however, in healthy people, who experience early life stress but do not become depressed, it may represent a resilience mechanism. We aimed to test these hypothesis examining whether increased amygdala activity in association with a history of early life stress (ELS) was negatively or positively associated with depressive symptoms and impact of negative life event stress in never-depressed adults.MethodsTwenty-four healthy participants completed an individually tailored negative mood induction task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) assessment along with evaluation of ELS.ResultsMood change and amygdala reactivity were increased in never-depressed participants who reported ELS compared to participants who reported no ELS. Yet, increased amygdala reactivity lowered effects of ELS on depressive symptoms and negative life events stress. Amygdala reactivity also had positive functional connectivity with the bilateral DLPFC, motor cortex and striatum in people with ELS during sad memory recall.ConclusionsIncreased amygdala activity in those with ELS was associated with decreased symptoms and increased neural features, consistent with emotion regulation, suggesting that preservation of robust amygdala reactions may reflect a stress buffering or resilience enhancing factor against depression and negative stressful events.

Patients with MDD exhibit reduced ability to modulate neural response when adjusting for variable amount of reward. This result suggests that reward size coding in the striatum may represent a neural correlate of motivational anhedonia in MDD patients.

The subjects were considered to have a bipolar nature according to the prevalence rate of bipolar conversion over a one-year period. Longer follow-up studies appear warranted determine the diagnostic issues of antidepressant-induced switch in unipolar depression.