Actigraphy in patients with treatment-resistant depression undergoing electroconvulsive therapy

•We investigated activity and sleep in a sample of 15 patients with treatment resistant depression.•Actigraphy was performed before and after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).•Activity and circadian amplitude increased in patients, who obtained remission with ECT.•Circadian acrophase and sleep were not significantly influenced by ECT.

Depressive disorder is frequently accompanied by changes in psychomotor activity and disturbances of the sleep–wake cycle. The chronobiological effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) are largely unknown. The objective of the current study was to measure the influence of ECT on patients' activity and sleep. 15 patients with unipolar TRD were treated with ECT. Activity levels were measured with wrist actigraphy before and after ECT. Remission rate (score on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale lower than 8 points) was 40.0%. Remitters had increases of 56.0% on light activity, 49.8% on total activity, and 70.2% on circadian amplitude, while there was no significant change of these variables in subjects who did not experience remission. The circadian acrophase and actigraphic sleep-parameters were not significantly affected by treatment.