Depression: magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies (review)

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a non-invasive method for assessing the neurochemical state of the brain. In recent years, the growth in the number of high-field scanners has led to a rapid increase in such studies and improvement in the quality of MRS data, the development of mechanisms and technologies for obtaining and processing results.The review is devoted to the study of the possibilities of MRS in the study of brain neurochemistry in depression. The fundamentals of techniques and various approaches to MRS, technical requirements for the study material, advantages and disadvantages of the method, difficulties in interpreting the results, and prospects for combining MRS with fMRI and EEG are considered. Most spectroscopic studies performed in depression show an abnormal decrease in the concentrations of the amino acid neurotransmitters γ-aminobutyric acid and glutamate, which is consistent with the results of post-mortem histopathological studies. Multivariate studies are needed to determine the anatomical and clinical specificity of changes in Glx and GABA levels that are found in depressed patients.The presented material can be used and form the basis for further multimodal experiments using MRS, which may be relevant both for the informed development of more effective drugs, and last but not least, neurofeedback tools aimed at interactive interventions in the neural network organization in depressive disorders.