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\"Recounts the journeys of the author's autistic son Jonah and seven other children and their families in their quests for educational placements and therapeutic interventions, such as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT\"-- Provided by publisher.

ECT is effective for several disorders, particularly severe or treatment-resistant depression, with a rapid response, but stigma has impeded its use. The mechanism is not known, but a seizure is required for efficacy. Effects on memory are prominent though usually transient.

This randomized, noninferiority trial compared ketamine with electroconvulsive therapy in treatment-resistant depression. Ketamine was noninferior to ECT for treatment-resistant depression without psychosis.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for major depression. Optimising efficacy and minimising cognitive impairment are goals of ongoing technical refinements. To compare the efficacy and cognitive effects of a novel electrode placement, bifrontal, with two standard electrode placements, bitemporal and right unilateral in ECT. This multicentre randomised, double-blind, controlled trial (NCT00069407) was carried out from 2001 to 2006. A total of 230 individuals with major depression, bipolar and unipolar, were randomly assigned to one of three electrode placements during a course of ECT: bifrontal at one and a half times seizure threshold, bitemporal at one and a half times seizure threshold and right unilateral at six times seizure threshold. All three electrode placements resulted in both clinically and statistically significant antidepressant outcomes. Remission rates were 55% (95% CI 43-66%) with right unilateral, 61% with bifrontal (95% CI 50-71%) and 64% (95% CI 53-75%) with bitemporal. Bitemporal resulted in a more rapid decline in symptom ratings over the early course of treatment. Cognitive data revealed few differences between the electrode placements on a variety of neuropsychological instruments. Each electrode placement is a very effective antidepressant treatment when given with appropriate electrical dosing. Bitemporal leads to more rapid symptom reduction and should be considered the preferred placement for urgent clinical situations. The cognitive profile of bifrontal is not substantially different from that of bitemporal.

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective treatment for mood disorders. Continuation ECT (C-ECT) and maintenance ECT (M-ECT) are required for many patients suffering from severe and recurrent forms of mood disorders. This is a review of the literature regarding C- and M-ECT. Methods: We conducted a computerized search using the words continuation ECT, maintenance ECT, depression, mania, bipolar disorder and mood disorders. We report on all articles published in the English language from 1998 to 2009. Results: We identified 32 reports. There were 24 case reports and retrospective reviews on 284 patients. Two of these reports included comparison groups, and 1 had a prospective follow-up in a subset of subjects. There were 6 prospective naturalistic studies and 2 randomized controlled trials. Conclusions: C-ECT and M-ECT are valuable treatment modalities to prevent relapse and recurrence of mood disorders in patients who have responded to an index course of ECT. C-ECT and M-ECT are underused and insufficiently studied despite positive clinical experience of more than 70 years. Studies which are currently under way should allow more definitive recommendations regarding the choice, frequency and duration of C-ECT and M-ECT following acute ECT.

Abstract Psychotic major depression (PMD) is hypothesized to be a distinct clinical entity from nonpsychotic major depression (NPMD). However, neurobiological evidence supporting this notion is scarce. The aim of this study is to identify gray matter volume (GMV) differences between PMD and NPMD and their longitudinal change following electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 8 independent sites in the Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration (GEMRIC) database (n = 108; 56 PMD and 52 NPMD; mean age 71.7 in PMD and 70.2 in NPMD) were analyzed. All participants underwent MRI before and after ECT. First, cross-sectional whole-brain voxel-wise GMV comparisons between PMD and NPMD were conducted at both time points. Second, in a flexible factorial model, a main effect of time and a group-by-time interaction were examined to identify longitudinal effects of ECT on GMV and longitudinal differential effects of ECT between PMD and NPMD, respectively. Compared with NPMD, PMD showed lower GMV in the prefrontal, temporal and parietal cortex before ECT; PMD showed lower GMV in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) after ECT. Although there was a significant main effect of time on GMV in several brain regions in both PMD and NPMD, there was no significant group-by-time interaction. Lower GMV in the MPFC was consistently identified in PMD, suggesting this may be a trait-like neural substrate of PMD. Longitudinal effect of ECT on GMV may not explain superior ECT response in PMD, and further investigation is needed.

Objective Exploring whether ultra-brief pulse electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) reduces the occurrence of postoperative delirium in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), and its effects on cholinesterase, inflammatory markers, and hippocampal neural metabolites. Methods From August 2022 to August 2023, inpatients at the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University diagnosed with SCZ according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (Tenth Edition ICD-10) and aged 18–55 years were studied. Patients were randomly divided into ultra-brief pulse (UBP) and brief pulse (BP) groups, receiving ultra-brief pulse ECT (pulse width 0.25 ms) or brief pulse ECT (pulse width 1.0 ms). Assessments were conducted before and 24 h after ECT sessions, including evaluations of delirium, psychiatric symptoms, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for hippocampal metabolites, and serum markers. Delirium was assessed using the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) and the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU-CAM). MRS measured changes in hippocampal metabolites, including N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), creatinine (Cr), myo-inositol (MI), and choline (Cho). Serum markers included twelve cytokines, C-reactive protein (CRP), and cholinesterase (ChE). Statistical analyses used chi-square tests and independent sample t-tests. Results No significant differences were found between the UBP and BP groups in baseline demographic and clinical data, cholinesterase levels, inflammatory markers, hippocampal spectra, ECT sessions, and BPRS scores post-treatment. However, the incidence of delirium was significantly different between UBP and BP groups ( χ 2  = 3 . 49, p  = 0 . 046), with the BP group having a higher incidence of delirium. Post-treatment, cholinesterase levels in the UBP group were significantly higher than those in the BP group ( t  = 0 . 52, p  < 0 . 001). Levels of CRP, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-1 β , and TNF- α were significantly lower in the UBP group compared to the BP group. Right hippocampal NAA/Cr and left hippocampal NAA/MI levels were significantly lower in the UBP group than in the BP group post-treatment. Conclusion Compared with BP ECT, UBP ECT may reduce the incidence of delirium post-treatment in SCZ without a significant difference in efficacy. The higher cholinesterase levels in the UBP group suggest that UBP ECT may reduce neuronal asynchronous depolarization, cholinergic disorder, and pro-inflammatory responses, thereby reducing the impact on delirium. These findings provide partial scientific evidence for elucidating the mechanisms underlying ECT.

Brief-pulse electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most acutely effective treatment for severe depression though concerns persist about cognitive side-effects. While bitemporal electrode placement is the most commonly used form worldwide, right unilateral ECT causes less cognitive side-effects though historically it has been deemed less effective. Several randomized trials have now compared high-dose (>5× seizure threshold) unilateral ECT with moderate-dose (1.0-2.5× seizure threshold) bitemporal ECT to investigate if it is as effective as bitemporal ECT but still has less cognitive side-effects. We aimed to systematically review these trials and meta-analyse clinical and cognitive outcomes where appropriate. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and EMBASE for randomized trials comparing these forms of ECT using the terms 'electroconvulsive' OR 'electroshock' AND 'trial'. Seven trials (n = 792) met inclusion criteria. Bitemporal ECT did not differ from high-dose unilateral ECT on depression rating change scores [Hedges's g = -0.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.17 to 0.11], remission (RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.93-1.20), or relapse at 12 months (RR 1.42, 95% CI 0.90-2.23). There was an advantage for unilateral ECT on reorientation time after individual ECT sessions (mean difference in minutes = -8.28, 95% CI -12.86 to -3.70) and retrograde autobiographical memory (Hedges's g = -0.46, 95% CI -0.87 to -0.04) after completing an ECT course. There were no differences for general cognition, category fluency and delayed visual and verbal memory. High-dose unilateral ECT does not differ from moderate-dose bitemporal ECT in antidepressant efficacy but has some cognitive advantages.

We have known for nearly a century that triggering seizures can treat serious mental illness, but what we do not know is why. Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) works faster and better than conventional pharmacological interventions; however, those benefits come with a burden of side effects, most notably memory loss. Disentangling the mechanisms by which ECT exerts rapid therapeutic benefit from the mechanisms driving adverse effects could enable the development of the next generation of seizure therapies that lack the downside of ECT. The latest research suggests that this goal may be attainable because modifications of ECT technique have already yielded improvements in cognitive outcomes without sacrificing efficacy. These modifications involve changes in how the electricity is administered (both where in the brain, and how much), which in turn impacts the characteristics of the resulting seizure. What we do not completely understand is whether it is the changes in the applied electricity, or in the resulting seizure, or both, that are responsible for improved safety. Answering this question may be key to developing the next generation of seizure therapies that lack these adverse side effects, and ushering in novel interventions that are better, faster, and safer than ECT.

Abstract Background Ketamine has emerged as a fast-acting and powerful antidepressant, but no head to head trial has been performed, Here, ketamine is compared with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), the most effective therapy for depression. Methods Hospitalized patients with unipolar depression were randomized (1:1) to thrice-weekly racemic ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) infusions or ECT in a parallel, open-label, non-inferiority study. The primary outcome was remission (Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale score ≤10). Secondary outcomes included adverse events (AEs), time to remission, and relapse. Treatment sessions (maximum of 12) were administered until remission or maximal effect was achieved. Remitters were followed for 12 months after the final treatment session. Results In total 186 inpatients were included and received treatment. Among patients receiving ECT, 63% remitted compared with 46% receiving ketamine infusions (P = .026; difference 95% CI 2%, 30%). Both ketamine and ECT required a median of 6 treatment sessions to induce remission. Distinct AEs were associated with each treatment. Serious and long-lasting AEs, including cases of persisting amnesia, were more common with ECT, while treatment-emergent AEs led to more dropouts in the ketamine group. Among remitters, 70% and 63%, with 57 and 61 median days in remission, relapsed within 12 months in the ketamine and ECT groups, respectively (P = .52). Conclusion Remission and cumulative symptom reduction following multiple racemic ketamine infusions in severely ill patients (age 18–85 years) in an authentic clinical setting suggest that ketamine, despite being inferior to ECT, can be a safe and valuable tool in treating unipolar depression.