Abstract
Many patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) suffer from residual symptoms. Rumination is a specific known risk factor for the onset, severity, prolongation, and relapse of MDD. This study aimed to examine the efficacy and EEG substrates of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in alleviating depression and rumination in an MDD population with residual symptoms. We recruited 26 recurrent MDD individuals who had residual symptoms with their current antidepressants to participate in the 8-week MBCT intervention. We evaluated the efficacy and changes in the dynamics of resting-state theta rhythm after the intervention, as well as the associations between theta alterations and improvements in depression and rumination. The participants showed reduced depression, enhanced adaptive reflective rumination, and increased theta power and phase synchronization after MBCT. The increased theta-band phase synchronizations between the right occipital regions and the right prefrontal, central, and parietal regions were associated with reduced depression, while the increase in theta power in the left parietal region was associated with improvements in reflective rumination. MBCT could alleviate depression and enhance adaptive, reflective rumination in recurrent MDD individuals with residual symptoms through the modulation of theta dynamics in specific brain regions.
Highlights
Major depressive disorder (MDD), one of the most common psychiatric disorders with high prevalence, heterogeneous causes, and variable treatment response, is associated with the number of years lived with disability at a global level [1]
The efficacy and changes in resting-state EEG activities after 8 weeks of Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) intervention were evaluated among recurrent
The results indicated significant reductions in depressive symptoms and increases in mindfulness level and reflective rumination, denoting the alleviation of abnormal rumination among the depressed individuals with residual symptoms after MBCT
Summary
Major depressive disorder (MDD), one of the most common psychiatric disorders with high prevalence, heterogeneous causes, and variable treatment response, is associated with the number of years lived with disability at a global level [1]. Many patients, even those with marked improvements after first-line treatment, suffer from depression-related symptoms (called residual symptoms) of various intensities and have a higher probability of experiencing a chronic course and relapse of depressive episodes [2, 3]. MBCT effects on rumination during depressive episodes was reported [9, 12, 13] It is not clear whether MBCT is effective in alleviating depression and rumination in patients who have residual symptoms with their current antidepressants. It is worth investigating the efficacy of MBCT and exploring the underlying neurophysiological substrates
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