Interrogating Associations Between Polygenic Liabilities and Electroconvulsive Therapy Effectiveness

BACKGROUND: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment for severe major depressive episodes (MDEs). Nonetheless, firmly established associations between ECT outcomes and biological variables are currently lacking. Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) carry clinical potential, but associations with treatment response in psychiatry are seldom reported. Here, we examined whether PRSs for major depressive disorder, schizophrenia (SCZ), cross-disorder, and pharmacological antidepressant response are associated with ECT effectiveness. METHODS: A total of 288 patients with MDE from 3 countries were included. The main outcome was a change in the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores from before to after ECT treatment. Secondary outcomes were response and remission. Regression analyses with PRSs as independent variables and several covariates were performed. Explained variance (R2) at the optimal p-value threshold is reported. RESULTS: In the 266 subjects passing quality control, the PRS-SCZ was positively associated with a larger Hamilton Depression Rating Scale decrease in linear regression (optimal p-value threshold = .05, R2 = 6.94%, p < .0001), which was consistent across countries: Ireland (R2 = 8.18%, p = .0013), Belgium (R2 = 6.83%, p = .016), and the Netherlands (R2 = 7.92%, p = .0077). The PRS-SCZ was also positively associated with remission (R2 = 4.63%, p = .0018). Sensitivity and subgroup analyses, including in MDE without psychotic features (R2 = 4.42%, p = .0024) and unipolar MDE only (R2 = 9.08%, p < .0001), confirmed the results. The other PRSs were not associated with a change in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score at the predefined Bonferroni-corrected significance threshold. CONCLUSIONS: A linear association between PRS-SCZ and ECT outcome was uncovered. Although it is too early to adopt PRSs in ECT clinical decision making, these findings strengthen the positioning of PRS-SCZ as relevant to treatment response in psychiatry

MAGNETIC AND ELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF R2Fe17 COMPOUNDS STUDIED BY MEANS OF THE MÖSSBAUER EFFECT

Les propriétés magnétiques et électriques des composés R2Fe17 (R = terre rare, yttrium ou thorium) ont été étudiées à l'aide de l'effet Mössbauer. Dans la région magnétiquement ordonnée, tous ces composés intermétalliques, sauf Tm2Fe17, présentent une anisotropie dans le plan de base. En dessous de 72 K l'anisotropie magnétique de Tm2Fe17 est parallèle à l'axe c.The magnetic and electric properties of the R2Fe17 compounds (R = rare earth, yttrium, or thorium) have been studied by using the Mössbauer effect. In the magnetically ordered state all these intermetallic compounds except for Tm2Fe17 have a basal plane anisotropy. This last compound has a c-axis anisotropy at 4 K and most likely an a-axis anisotropy at 80 K

THREE DIMENSIONAL NEUTRON POLARIZATION ANALYSIS IN THE STUDY OF FERROMAGNETIC DOMAIN STRUCTURES

Neutron depolarization experiments have been carried out in which a polarized neutron beam is presented to a sample in either one of the three possible orthogonal polarization directions. Three dimensional polarization analysis of the transmitted beam yields a (3 x 3) depolarization matrix of the sample under investigation. In studying domain structures (DS) various models can be used to describe the D.S. in a limited number of parameters. From the measured depolarization matrix in general 6 independent domain parameters can be determined as a function of magnetic field, temperature, time, stress or other parameters. Various applications of this technique in the study of static and dynamic magnetization processes will be discussed. In particular attention will be given to studies of the amplitude of 90° zigzag walls in a Fe Si-single crystal /1/ and of the domain structure in amorphous Metglas 2826 /2/. As a result of the last it appears possible to analyse the internal mechanical stress distribution as a function of the depth in the foil