Effects of Chronic Pain Diagnoses on the Antidepressant Efficacy of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

OBJECTIVE: Major depressive disorder (MDD) and chronic pain are highly comorbid and bidirectionally related. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is effective in treating MDD, but additional research is needed to determine if chronic pain interferes with rTMS for MDD. METHODS: Participants were 124 veterans ( Mage = 49.14, SD = 13.83) scheduled for 30 sessions of rTMS across 6 weeks. Depression severity was monitored weekly using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Having any pain diagnosis, low back pain, or headache/migraine were assessed by chart review. We fit latent basis models to estimate total change by pain diagnosis in depression scores and quadratic latent growth models to examine differences in growth rates. Then, we computed χ2 tests of group differences in response (PHQ-9 reduction ≥50%) and remission rates (final PHQ-9 < 5). RESULTS: A total of 92 participants (74%) had a documented pain diagnosis, 58 (47%) had low back pain, and 32 (26%) had headache/migraine. In growth models, depression scores initially decreased (linear slope estimate = -2.04, SE = 0.26, p < .0001), but the rate of decrease slowed over time (quadratic slope estimate = 0.18, SE = 0.04, p < .001). Overall change was not different as a function of any pain diagnosis ( p = .42), low back pain (p = .11 ), or headache/migraine ( p = .28). However, we found that low back pain was a negative predictor of response ( p = .032). CONCLUSIONS: These data support rTMS as a viable treatment option for comorbid populations. Although patients with comorbid chronic pain conditions are likely to receive benefit from rTMS for depression, adjunctive pain treatment may be indicated.

Theta Burst Stimulation Is Not Inferior to High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Reducing Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans With Depression: A Retrospective Case Series.

OBJECTIVES: Two commonly used forms of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) were recently shown to be equivalent for the treatment of depression: high-frequency stimulation (10 Hz), a protocol that lasts between 19 and 38 minutes, and intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a protocol that can be delivered in just three minutes. However, it is unclear whether iTBS treatment offers the same benefits as those of standard 10-Hz rTMS for comorbid symptoms such as those seen in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective case series, we analyzed treatment outcomes in veterans from the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System who received 10-Hz (n = 47) or iTBS (n = 51)-rTMS treatments for treatment-resistant depression between February 2018 and June 2022. We compared outcomes between these two stimulation protocols in symptoms of depression (using changes in the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]) and PTSD (using changes in the PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, or Patient Checklist [PCL]-5). RESULTS: There was an imbalance of sex between groups (p < 0.05). After controlling for sex, we found no significant difference by stimulation protocol for depression (PHQ-9, F [1,94] = 0.16, p = 0.69, eta-squared = 0.002), confirming the original study previously noted. We also showed no difference by stimulation protocol of changes in PTSD symptoms (PCL-5, F [1,94] = 3.46, p = 0.067, eta-squared = 0.036). The iTBS group showed a decrease from 41.9 ± 4.4 to 25.1 ± 4.9 (a difference of 16.8 points) on the PCL-5 scale whereas the 10-Hz group showed a decrease from 43.6 ± 2.9 to 35.2 ± 3.2 on this scale (a difference of 8.4 points). Follow-up analyses restricting the sample in various ways did not meaningfully change these results (no follow-up analyses showed that there was a significant difference between stimulation protocols). CONCLUSIONS: Although limited by small sample size, nonblind, and pseudorandomized assignment, our data suggest that iTBS is similar to 10-Hz stimulation in inducing reductions in PTSD symptoms and depression in military veterans.

Synaptic plasticity and mental health: methods, challenges and opportunities.

Activity-dependent synaptic plasticity is a ubiquitous property of the nervous system that allows neurons to communicate and change their connections as a function of past experiences. Through reweighting of synaptic strengths, the nervous system can remodel itself, giving rise to durable memories that create the biological basis for mental function. In healthy individuals, synaptic plasticity undergoes characteristic developmental and aging trajectories. Dysfunctional plasticity, in turn, underlies a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, schizophrenia, addiction, and posttraumatic stress disorder. From a mechanistic standpoint, synaptic plasticity spans the gamut of spatial and temporal scales, from microseconds to the lifespan, from microns to the entire nervous system. With the numbers and strengths of synapses changing on such wide scales, there is an important need to develop measurement techniques with complimentary sensitivities and a growing number of approaches are now being harnessed for this purpose. Through hemodynamic measures, structural and tracer imaging, and noninvasive neuromodulation, it is possible to image structural and functional changes that underlie synaptic plasticity and associated behavioral learning. Here we review the mechanisms of neural plasticity and the historical and future trends in techniques that allow imaging of synaptic changes that accompany psychiatric disorders, highlighting emerging therapeutics and the challenges and opportunities accompanying this burgeoning area of study.

Social Risk Factors and Atrial Fibrillation.

Modifiable risk factor management is becoming one of the 3 treatment pillars in atrial fibrillation management along with anticoagulation as well as conventional rate and rhythm control strategies. Preventive therapies, such as reducing blood pressure and treating obstructive sleep apnea, are paramount in the strategy of preventing atrial fibrillation. Identification of new modifiable risk factors and triggers also could help in the global strategy to reduce atrial fibrillation. This article covers alcohol intake, tobacco smoking, caffeine, chocolate, cannabis use, and air pollution as social risk factors related to lifestyle habits that potentially could contribute to atrial fibrillation development.

Electrocardiographic and Echocardiographic Abnormalities in Patients with Risk Factors for Atrial Fibrillation.

The electrocardiogram and various echocardiography modalities are important risk markers for atrial fibrillation (AF). Electrocardiographic criteria of left atrial enlargement, advanced interatrial block, and PR-interval prolongation are atrial risk markers for AF. Transthoracic echocardiography is elementary for risk stratification of AF. Transesophageal echocardiography is a valuable tool to detect cardiac sources of embolism if early cardioversion is necessary. Intracardiac echocardiography is a real-time tool for guidance of percutaneous interventions, including radiofrequency ablation and left atrial appendage closure in patients with AF.

Hypertension, Prehypertension, Hypertensive Heart Disease, and Atrial Fibrillation.

Hypertension (HT) confers the highest population-attributable risk among factors leading to atrial fibrillation (AF). Data also are accumulating regarding the association between pre-HT, aortic stiffness, and increased incident AF or AF recurrence. Atrial remodeling due to HT is progressive but also reversible. Although inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system has shown the greatest promise in improving AF outcomes, optimal blood pressure targets in individuals with HT and AF remain elusive. AF management demands an integrated care approach. HT is best treated alongside a comprehensive risk factor management program where other AF risk factors are targeted, with involvement of a multidisciplinary team.

Circulating Triglycerides Gate Dopamine-Associated Behaviors through DRD2-Expressing Neurons.

Energy-dense food alters dopaminergic (DA) transmission in the mesocorticolimbic (MCL) system and can promote reward dysfunctions, compulsive feeding, and weight gain. Yet the mechanisms by which nutrients influence the MCL circuitry remain elusive. Here, we show that nutritional triglycerides (TGs), a conserved post-prandial metabolic signature among mammals, can be metabolized within the MCL system and modulate DA-associated behaviors by gating the activity of dopamine receptor subtype 2 (DRD2)-expressing neurons through a mechanism that involves the action of the lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Further, we show that in humans, post-prandial TG excursions modulate brain responses to food cues in individuals carrying a genetic risk for reduced DRD2 signaling. Collectively, these findings unveil a novel mechanism by which dietary TGs directly alter signaling in the reward circuit to regulate behavior, thereby providing a new mechanistic basis by which energy-rich diets may lead to (mal)adaptations in DA signaling that underlie reward deficit and compulsive behavior.

Mapping and Ablation of Fascicular Tachycardias (Reentrant and Nonreentrant).

Fascicular ventricular tachycardia (FVT) usually involves the left fascicular system; namely the left posterior fascicle, anterior fascicle, and rarely the upper septal fascicle. It may also involve the right Purkinje arborization. This tachycardia can be seen in normal heart or in the setting of structural heart diseases. Monomorphic FVT can be reentrant or nonreentrant and verapamil-sensitive left FVT is the second most common type of idiopathic ventricular tachycardia (VT) after right ventricular outflow tract VT. This article focuses on the practical approach for both reentrant and nonreentrant FVT, explaining the mechanism, electrocardiographic features, and electrophysiologic features of FVT.

The Ideal Cardiac Mapping System.

Cardiac mapping has witnessed significant and unprecedented progress over more than a century. At present, several mapping/imaging technologies are commercially available, alone or in combination. This article briefly discusses the advantages and limitations (disadvantages) of each technique.

Historical Perspectives on Cardiac Mapping and Ablation.

Cardiac mapping has evolved from single point-by-point registration of cardiac electrical activity to its utmost real-time multimodality of mapping and imaging for catheter ablation of arrhythmias. The technology began with electrocardiogram recordings and evolved to the simultaneous registration of depolarization and repolarization using optical mapping and real-time multimodality imaging. Zero to near-zero fluoroscopy is currently used in practice to avoid radiation exposure. Real-time noninvasive mapping, imaging, and ablation of arrhythmias are in use in practice. We present the contemporary up-to-date progress on the role of cardiac mapping and imaging in the diagnosis and management of cardiac arrhythmias.

Fibrosis and Ventricular Arrhythmogenesis: Role of Cardiac MRI.

Cardiac fibrosis is a significant increase in collagen volume fraction of myocardial tissue. It plays an important role in the pathophysiology of many cardiovascular abnormalities. Electrophysiologically, myocardial fibrosis produces anisotropic conduction, inhomogeneity, and conduction delay. Several markers are available to detect myocardial fibrosis. CMRI is the most common imaging technique; late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) provides markers for tissue characterization, disease progression and arrhythmic events. LGE-CMR can be used as risk marker of occurrence of pathologic conditions. LGE-CMR demonstrates specific patterns related to different pathologic substrates. We discuss the role of CMRI in ventricular arrhythmogenesis.

Inappropriate ICD shock due to hot tub-induced external electrical interference.

BACKGROUND: A 72-year-old white male with a history of rapid nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and intermittent Brugada-type ECG had a single-lead implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation and received a sudden ICD shock while in the hot tub. To the best of our knowledge this is the first case report of hot tub jet-induced inappropriate ICD shock. METHODS: ICD interrogation and analysis of intracardiac electrograms and event markers. RESULTS: ICD interrogation revealed inappropriate ICD shocks due to electrical interference of hot tub engine; 60-cycle electrical artifact mimicking fast ventricular fibrillation erroneously detected by the device. The device then delivered a 34.8 joules shock while the patient was actually in sinus rhythm. CONCLUSIONS: Electrical interference due to external sources such as hot tub engines may occur and produce an inappropriate detection and ICD shock. Precaution and patient education is warranted.

Electrocardiographic Markers of Sudden Cardiac Death (Including Left Ventricular Hypertrophy).

Although the electrocardiograph (ECG) was invented more than 100 years ago, it remains the most commonly used test in clinical medicine. It is easy to perform, relatively cheap, and results are readily available. Interpretation, however, needs expertise and knowledge. New data, phenomenon, and syndromes are continually discovered by the ECG. It is important to differentiate between normal and abnormal ECGs first and then try to correlate the findings with clinical pathologies. Furthermore, the ECG is an integral part of the screening model for a variety of conditions such as channelopathies, athletes, preoperative risk profile, and remains the cardiologist's best friend.