As a neuroscientist I am particularly interested in the neurobiological mechanisms of major depressive disorders and their treatment with various forms of neurostimulation therapies

Leif Oltedal is a consultant neuroradiologist (50%) at Haukeland University Hospital and associate professor (50%) at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen (UiB) in Norway. He  is affiliated to the Mohn Medical Imanging and Visualization Centre (MMIV) .

I lead the Neurostimulation and Brain imaging research group at the Department of Clinical Medicine in Bergen and research projects on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at MMIV. I am also the leader of the Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration (GEMRIC), which is a network of researchers who use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the effects of ECT on the brain.

My research interests concern the structure and functioning of the human brain and spans from basic neuroscience disciplines such as anatomy and patch-clamp electrophysiology to clinical oriented research with neuroimaging in psychiatry and radiology. I am particularly interested in the mechanisms underlying mental disorders and how neurostimulation can be used as an effective therapeutic option. In radiology I am also involved in the development of novel MRI techniques for precision diagnostics or brain tumors (gliomas).  

For an overview of recent publications, please see Google Scholar:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=L_sc0DQAAAAJ

 

 

Vitenskapelig artikkel

• Hirnstein, Marco ; Oltedal, Leif (2025). Transkraniell magnetisk stimulering – kommet for å bli. (ekstern lenke)
• Verdijk, Joey P. A. J.; van de Mortel, Laurens A.; ten Doesschate, Freek et al. (2024). Longitudinal resting-state network connectivity changes in electroconvulsive therapy patients compared to healthy controls. (ekstern lenke)
• Ottarsdottir, Edda; Tveiten, Øystein Vesterli; Oltedal, Leif et al. (2024). Impact of subjective and objective language function and psychological distress on quality of life in glioma patients awaiting surgery. (ekstern lenke)
• Hammar, Åsa Karin; Ronold, Eivind Haga; Spurkeland, Malene Alden et al. (2024). Improvement of persistent impairments in executive functions and attention following electroconvulsive therapy in a case control longitudinal follow up study. (ekstern lenke)
• Skaga, Erlend; Trewin-Nybråten, Cassia Bree; Niehusmann, Pitt et al. (2024). Stable glioma incidence and increased patient survival over the past two decades in Norway: a nationwide registry-based cohort study. (ekstern lenke)
• Kiebs, Maximilian; Farrar, Danielle C.; Yrondi, Antoine et al. (2024). Electroconvulsive therapy and cognitive performance from the Global ECT MRI Research Collaboration. (ekstern lenke)
• Laroy, Maarten; Bouckaert, Filip; Ousdal, Olga Therese et al. (2024). Characterization of gray matter volume changes from one week to 6 months after termination of electroconvulsive therapy in depressed patients. (ekstern lenke)
• Argyelan, Miklos; Deng, Zhi-De; Ousdal, Olga Therese et al. (2023). Electroconvulsive therapy-induced volumetric brain changes converge on a common causal circuit in depression. (ekstern lenke)
• Blanken, M.A.J.T.; Oudega, M.L.; Hoogendoorn, A.W. et al. (2023). Sex-specifics of ECT outcome. (ekstern lenke)
• Bruin, Willem Benjamin; Oltedal, Leif; Bartsch, Hauke et al. (2023). Development and validation of a multimodal neuroimaging biomarker for electroconvulsive therapy outcome in depression: A multicenter machine learning analysis. (ekstern lenke)
• ten Doesschate, Freek; Bruin, Willem; Zeidman, Peter et al. (2023). Effective resting-state connectivity in severe unipolar depression before and after electroconvulsive therapy. (ekstern lenke)
• Schreiner, Jakob Emil; Kessler, Ute; Ødegaard, Ketil Joachim et al. (2023). Exploring New Electroencephalogram Parameters in Electroconvulsive Therapy. (ekstern lenke)
• Hannisdal, Marianne Hjellvik; Goplen, Dorota; Alam, Saruar et al. (2023). Feasibility of deep learning-based tumor segmentation for target delineation and response assessment in grade-4 glioma using multi-parametric MRI. (ekstern lenke)
• Erchinger, Vera Jane; Craven, Alexander R.; Ersland, Lars et al. (2023). Electroconvulsive therapy triggers a reversible decrease in brain N-acetylaspartate. (ekstern lenke)
• Frid, Leila Marie; Kessler, Ute; Ousdal, Olga Therese et al. (2023). Neurobiological mechanisms of ECT and TMS treatment in depression: study protocol of a multimodal magnetic resonance investigation. (ekstern lenke)
• van de Mortel, L.A.; Bruin, W.B.; Thomas, R.M. et al. (2022). Multimodal multi-center analysis of electroconvulsive therapy effects in depression: Brainwide gray matter increase without functional changes. (ekstern lenke)
• Takamiya, Akihiro; Dols, Annemiek; Emsell, Louise et al. (2021). Neural Substrates of Psychotic Depression: Findings From the Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration. (ekstern lenke)
• Opel, Nils; Narr, Katherine L; Abbott, Christopher et al. (2021). Elevated body weight modulates subcortical volume change and associated clinical response following electroconvulsive therapy. (ekstern lenke)
• Brancati, Giulio Emilio; Brekke, Njål; Bartsch, Hauke et al. (2021). Short and long-term effects of single and multiple sessions of electroconvulsive therapy on brain gray matter volumes. (ekstern lenke)
• Wade, Benjamin; Hellemann, Gerhard S.; Espinoza, Randall et al. (2021). Accounting for symptom heterogeneity can improve neuroimaging models of antidepressant response after electroconvulsive therapy. (ekstern lenke)
• Blomberg, Malin Ovat; Semkovska, Maria; Kessler, Ute et al. (2020). A Longitudinal Comparison Between Depressed Patients Receiving Electroconvulsive Therapy and Healthy Controls on Specific Memory Functions. (ekstern lenke)
• Mulders, Peter C. R.; Llera, Alberto; Beckmann, Christian F. et al. (2020). Structural changes induced by electroconvulsive therapy are associated with clinical outcome. (ekstern lenke)
• Erchinger, Vera Jane; Miller, Jeremy; Jones, Thomas et al. (2020). Anterior cingulate gamma-aminobutyric acid concentrations and electroconvulsive therapy. (ekstern lenke)
• Rahman, Mohummad Aminur; Brekke, Jorunn; Arnesen, Victoria Smith et al. (2020). Sequential bortezomib and temozolomide treatment promotes immunological responses in glioblastoma patients with positive clinical outcomes: A phase 1B study. (ekstern lenke)
• Karunamuni, Roshan A.; White, Nathan S.; Fromm, Annette et al. (2019). Improved characterization of cerebral infarction using combined tissue T2 and high b-value diffusion MRI in post-thrombectomy patients: a feasibility study. (ekstern lenke)
• Ousdal, Olga Therese; Argyelan, Miklos; Narr, Katherine L. et al. (2019). Brain changes induced by electroconvulsive therapy are broadly distributed. (ekstern lenke)
• Aarsland, Tore Ivar Malmei; Leskauskaite, Ieva; Midttun, Øivind et al. (2019). The effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on serum tryptophan metabolites. (ekstern lenke)
• Argyelan, Miklos; Oltedal, Leif; Deng, Zhi-De et al. (2019). Electric field causes volumetric changes in the human brain. (ekstern lenke)
• Wade, Benjamin; Hellemann, Gerhard; Espinoza, Randall et al. (2019). Depressive Symptom Dimensions in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression and Their Modulation With Electroconvulsive Therapy. (ekstern lenke)
• Soda, Takahiro; McLoughlin, Declan M.; Clark, Scott R. et al. (2019). International Consortium on the Genetics of Electroconvulsive Therapy and Severe Depressive Disorders (Gen-ECT-ic). (ekstern lenke)
• Oltedal, Leif; Narr, Katherine L.; Abbott, Christopher et al. (2018). Volume of the Human Hippocampus and Clinical Response Following Electroconvulsive Therapy. (ekstern lenke)
• Sirnes, Eivind; Oltedal, Leif; Bartsch, Hauke et al. (2017). Brain morphology in school-aged children with prenatal opioid exposure: A structural MRI study. (ekstern lenke)
• Oltedal, Leif; Bartsch, Hauke; Sørhaug, Ole Johan Evjenth et al. (2017). The Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration (GEMRIC): Establishing a multi-site investigation of the neural mechanisms underlying response to electroconvulsive therapy. (ekstern lenke)
• Oltedal, Leif; Hugdahl, Kenneth (2016). Opposite brain laterality in analogous auditory and visual tests. (ekstern lenke)
• Oltedal, Leif; Kessler, Ute; Ersland, Lars et al. (2015). Effects of ECT in treatment of depression: Study protocol for a prospective neuroradiological study of acute and longitudinal effects on brain structure and function. (ekstern lenke)

Vitenskapelig oversiktsartikkel/review

• Romeo, Zaira; Biondi, Margherita; Oltedal, Leif et al. (2024). The Dark and Gloomy Brain: Grey Matter Volume Alterations in Major Depressive Disorder-Fine-Grained Meta-Analyses. (ekstern lenke)
• Abe, Yoshifumi; Erchinger, Vera Jane; Ousdal, Olga Therese et al. (2024). Neurobiological mechanisms of electroconvulsive therapy for depression: Insights into hippocampal volumetric increases from clinical and preclinical studies. (ekstern lenke)
• Erchinger, Vera Jane; Ersland, Lars; Aukland, Stein Magnus et al. (2021). Magnetic resonance spectroscopy in depressed subjects treated with electroconvulsive therapy—A systematic review of literature. (ekstern lenke)
• Ousdal, Olga Therese; Brancati, Giulio E.; Kessler, Ute et al. (2021). The Neurobiological Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy Studied Through Magnetic Resonance: What Have We Learned, and Where Do We Go?. (ekstern lenke)
• Scott, Jan; Hidalgo-Mazzei, Diego; Strawbridge, Rebecca et al. (2019). Prospective cohort study of early biosignatures of response to lithium in bipolar-I-disorders: overview of the H2020-funded R-LiNK initiative. (ekstern lenke)

Errata

• Argyelan, Miklos; Deng, Zhi-De; Ousdal, Olga Therese et al. (2023). Correction: Electroconvulsive therapy-induced volumetric brain changes converge on a common causal circuit in depression (Molecular Psychiatry, (2023), 10.1038/s41380-023-02318-2). (ekstern lenke)

Fagartikkel

• Taule, Erlend Moen; Schipmann-Miletic, Stephanie; Thorsen, Frits et al. (2022). Hjernemetastasar – diagnostikk og behandling. (ekstern lenke)

Brev til redaktøren

• Ousdal, Olga Therese; Gjestad, Rolf; Oltedal, Leif (2021). Reply to: Clinical Relevance of Brain Changes After Electroconvulsive Therapy: Is There Really No Link at All?. (ekstern lenke)

Poster

• Wagner, Lucia; Nygaard, Gyrid; Kessler, Ute et al. (2021). ECT’s Effects on the Brain’s Motor Coordination. (ekstern lenke)
• Smit, Noeska Natasja; Bruckner, Stefan; Hauser, Helwig et al. (2018). Research Agenda of the Mohn Medical Imaging and Visualization Centre in Bergen, Norway. (ekstern lenke)
• Stautland, Andrea; Kessler, Ute; Oltedal, Leif et al. (2017). Lipidomics in Patients Receiving ECT. (ekstern lenke)
• Berle, Jan Øystein; Berg, John Erik; Bjarke, Jill et al. (2015). Use of electroconvulsive therapy in postpartum affective disorder. A systematic review of the literature. (ekstern lenke)

Vitenskapelig foredrag

• Oltedal, Leif (2018). GEMRIC: now and the future. (ekstern lenke)

Intervju tidsskrift

• Gewin, Virginia; Oltedal, Leif (2018). Formalize agreements. (ekstern lenke)

Faglig foredrag

• Oltedal, Leif (2013). Cases for juniors. (ekstern lenke)

Se en full oversikt over publikasjoner i Cristin

1) ECT og nevroradiologi

- Elektrokonvulsiv terapi (ECT) brukes ved alvorlig, terapiresistent depresjon. Prosjektet undersøker akutte og langsiktige effekter av ECT. Deltagerne i studien undersøkes med avansert MR før, under og etter behandling. En av hypotesene som undersøkes er om ECT stimulerer nydannelse av hjerneceller. Dette kan ikke påvises direkte med MR, men øket volum av grå substans er et indirekte tegn på nevrotrofiske effekter. Vi vil også se etter endringer i hjernens signalstoffer (nevrotransmittere) og i hvit substans. I tillegg til bildeundersøkelser utredes pasientene grundig med nevropsykologiske tester før og etter behandling.

ECTMRI - info om norsk studie

The GEMRIC study - info om internasjonalt samarbeid  og her

2) RSI i nevroradiologi

- Restriction Spectrum Imaging (RSI; utviklet ved UCSD) er en metode for MR diffusjonsavbildning som kan skille intracellulært vann (restricted water) fra vann i ekstracellulærvæsken (hindered water). Metoden er ny og prosjektet vil undersøke om/hvordan RSI kan gi ny informasjon om ulike patologiske prosesser som standard klinisk diffusjonsavbildning ikke gir.