Regional cerebral blood flow in mood disorders, V.: Effects of antidepressant medication in late-life depression

Twenty elderly outpatients with major depression were treated with either nortriptyline or sertraline. Resting regional cerebral bloodflow (rCBF) was assessed by tbe planar (133)Xenon inhalation technique after a medication washout and following 6-9 weeks of antidepressant treatment. At baseline, the depressed sample had reduced rCBF in frontal cortical regions when compared with 20 matched normal-control subjects. After treatment Responders and Nonresponders differed in the expression of a specific topographic alteration:, with Responders manifesting reduced perfusion in frontal regions. These findings are consistent with this group's previous report of reduced rCBF after response to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and suggest a common mechanism of action.